I just finished my second painting in my Joplin Tornado series. An EF5 tornado occurred on May 22, 2011 in my hometown of Joplin, MO. I took the photo references for this scene about 7 weeks post tornado, when I was back in Joplin to visit and help family. I was standing across the street from where my grandparents house had stood (25th and Empire ) - only scraped dirt and rubble left by this time, as it was completely destroyed by the tornado. I was facing the remains of St John's Hospital, which was twisted 4" on its axis. I will be having prints made of this, if any of you are interested. I have come to realize that in times of tragedy, nature or man-made, we humans are very much alike. We help one another. And here in the US, one of the first things we see is our flag, raised above the rubble, as a beacon for all to see and know that our spirit is undaunted and that together we will rebuild and move forward. |