Veterans art featured in Islip Arts Council exhibition to raise mental health awareness

The Islip Arts Council showcases exhibits of Long Island veterans armed with cameras, paint brushes, and canvases.

This exhibit showcases the artistic skills of nine veterans who have submitted work to the Bay Shore Gallery. This is the second exhibition that began last year to raise awareness of the mental health of military personnel through paintings and photography, including drone photography by Sean Fitzsum. Creating art is therapeutic, according to veterans.

Fitzsam, 43, of Babylon, has three photographs in his exhibit. His artistic roots date back to his childhood, but he said that during his military career, from 2000 until 2006, he served in the Army, where he drifted away from the creative side. He said. passion. Currently he works as a professional photographer.

Fitzsome, who taught art classes to veterans wounded in combat, said there wasn’t enough focus on the mental health of service members. We discover that the veteran committed suicide.

“You have to pay attention to PTSD and health in general,” he said. “I think there is a stigma in PTSD. PTSD is a normal reaction that accompanies an abnormal situation. … Certain intense moments can have lasting effects on people.”

Fitzsome was unable to work around the buzzing machinery, which caused him to have tinnitus and tinnitus. Creative, he said, can block that out by utilizing his zone.

John P. Cardon, 74, from Ronkonkoma, enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam War. He served as an instructor from his 1968 to his 1970 and later became a military photographer. While based in Colorado, he photographed men returning from combat as they received honors and medals.

“I spoke to many of them and I know how they suffered. They suffered a lot,” he said. “I was so lucky that my heart goes out to them.”

Cardone didn’t see the fight, but he faced anguish later when he was twice diagnosed with lymphoma. To deal with the trauma of his diagnosis, he turned to photography of nature. It was an “amazing way” to get through the stress and fear of having cancer, he said, and two of his photos are now on display in a gallery.

“Whether you’re kayaking in calm waters, hiking, or visiting a hummingbird garden, such activities can help clear your mind of confusion, worry, and tension, and calm your mind. I will,” he said.

Other artists featured in the exhibit are John J. Brennan, Carrie Ann Gonzalez, Rosemary Lamb-Morley, Pat Marino, John Melillo, Angel Ramos, and Jesse Williams.

Art can help you express your emotions and manage stress and anxiety, says Lauren Ptarczynski, an art therapist at Glen Cove Hospital. Thanks to her growing interest in her mental health and self-care, creating art as a therapeutic outlet is growing in popularity, she said.

“Art is therapy. It takes people’s minds off things,” Ptarshinski said. “It’s about creating, not what you get as an end result.”

A complimentary reception will be held on November 10th at 5pm at 1701 Sunrise Hwy. Suite N1. The exhibition runs until November 15th.