Portraits of Fallen Heroes are dedicated to soldiers who have

died in action while serving their country and to their families.

Soldier Portraits is a non-profit organization that makes portraits of American soldiers who died while involved in the Iraq or Afganistan conflicts. The portraits are provided for free as a way to honor the soldiers and their families. There are currently 26 very talented and diverse artists using nine different types of media involved with this organization, of which Nancy is one. 

Nancy is very proud to be a part of Soldier Portraits and to have the opportunity to honor the soldiers who have given their lives for my country. Painting a portrait for the families these soldiers have left behind is one way for her to honor the family as well as the soldier, and a way of allowing the family to always remember their loved one.  Darla Dixon, the founder of Soldier Portraits, said in an interview, "Many artists communicate or find a release for their emotions in their art.  Our group gives them the opportunity to give service to a grieving family. One of our artists, after doing her first soldier portrait commission, emailed me to thank me for starting this group, and that is was very meaningful to her to do this. I think it is a more emotional experience than artists expect."

Darla was very correct when she said that. Nancy's experience painting her first soldier portrait was very similar. 

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Here is Nancy's story about painting her very first soldier portrait:

"The first soldier portrait I did was of a 19 year old young man who had died in action while in Iraq just two months previously (his portrait can be seen below). He was the same age as my own son who had just joined the Air Force and was told he was going to be trained to be in security forces and would probably be heading to Iraq. It really hit me that this could very well be my own son whose photo I was holding, wishing I had more time to spend with him. I realized how difficult it must be for these families to even ask for a portrait to be painted of their loved one. I wanted to make the portrait as perfect as possible so his family would be able to remember him forever, just as he was. There were many times in the course of painting the portrait I just broke down and cried for this young man and his family, and prayed that I would not have to go through this same terrible grief one day with my own son. I also realized just how much I appreciated these fine men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to make sure that the United States of America was kept safe and that I would be able to remain free here at home. As proud as I am of these soldiers, it is not nearly as much pride as their own families feel toward them, nor is my anguish nearly as severe as what they feel everyday knowing their loved ones are not coming home. The least I can do is use my talent in a feeble attempt to honor these soldiers and their families and to offer them something by which they can always remember their loved one. I will consider myself a success if I can offer some measure of comfort to these families by painting a portrait of their much loved hero."

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This page is where the completed portraits of the soldiers will be posted. Portraits that Nancy has not yet finished you can view on  Currently On My Easel, where you can follow the painting process along to completion.

If you are a family member of a soldier who has died in either the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts while in the service of their country and you would like a portrait painted of that soldier,  or if you would like to support this organization, you can go to the Soldier Portraits blog, or contact Darla Dixon.  There you will find links to each of the artists involved in the project. You will be able to look at the artists' work and choose which artist you would like to ask to paint the portrait of your hero for you. There is no guarantee that a particular artist will be able to fit you into their schedule, but they will try very hard to do so.

THANK YOU FOR CARING!

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Fallen Heroes Portraits

                         Pvt. Cole Larsen, US Army