Montgomery honored for artwork
Article published on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005 |
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| Photo courtesy of VETERANS CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL |
| Korean War veteran Ralph Montgomery of Indian Rocks Beach displays his award-winning “North Carolina Mill.” |
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INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – Air Force veteran Ralph Montgomery of Indian Rocks Beach recently exhibited his award-winning artwork at the 2005 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Denver, Colo.
The festival culminated a year-long fine arts talent competition in art, music, drama, dance and creative writing program open to all veterans who receive care at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The talented veterans invited to the festival were selected from more than 2,500 entries.
Montgomery, a veteran of the Korean War, won first place in the watercolor category. Montgomery’s piece, “North Carolina Mill,” is a watercolor of a mill in rural North Carolina.
“The fabric of rural America, as many of us remember is fast disappearing. We should preserve the images if we cannot somehow halt the erosion of the landmarks,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery’s grandfather taught him to hold a pencil and to “see” the things he looked at. He began to paint watercolor because of its fluidity and often unforgiving temperament.
A retired architect, Montgomery resided overseas before returning to Florida. In 1990, he was held hostage for four and a half months when Iraq invaded Kuwait. He sketched daily to pass the time.
“It was a great way to ease the stress,” Montgomery said.
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Article published on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005
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