I am an Artist and I love creating artwork that has meaning specific to the person or persons I am intending the item to be created for. We The People, The Pledge and We Mutually Pledge each have a specific meaning and each express my personal feelings to that person.

We the People originally was created as a wall hanging for our basement as I had served in the Army Reserves.

The Pledge came about as a retirement gift for a good friend. Which I can happily say he loved!

The Pledge 2 was created for my brother-n-law, as a gift, for his service during the Gulf War. The recognition of his service had been long overdue but we wanted to give him something that would represent his long standing commitment to his family and country. The Pledge 2 was created specifically for his service but it also included blue stars. The blue stars were added to recognize his eldest sons service and for his youngest son, who is getting ready to go off to basic training.

A brief history of the Blue Star Flag

Back in 1917, Army Captain Robert Queissner wanted to make a simple flag that signified his two sons’ service in World War I. Only three days later, the American War Mothers organization formed and began displaying Captain Queissner’s flag in their windows. Sometimes the flags may have two or three stars (signifying two or three children serving in the military). Because so many military lives were lost in World War I, a new flag was developed. Mothers who had lost their sons in World War I began sewing a gold star over the blue star. The flag symbolized pride, love, and hope and became very popular during World War II. It returned to popularity during the Gulf War.

We Mutually Pledge is a piece with solidarity in mind specifically for our nation, the United States of America as we are slowly being convinced not to be United. This piece has taken on a greater meaning, more recently, for the citizens of Ukraine as we are currently seeing in real time what solidarity truly represents.

Something I need to stress here, as an artist, each time I create a piece of artwork I try to have a person in mind that would appreciate the piece as much as I enjoy creating it. As in the case of my friend that retired, I knew as soon as I gave it to him the appreciation was there as the tear in his eye developed.

Now in the case of my brother-n-law; his appreciation I believe hit a little deeper. He, like myself and my friend, still believes in the founders framework of this great nation and believes that our Republic is the greatest source of human dignity, freedom and liberty that has ever been created. I must stress here, as an Artist, there is no greater thank you when presenting a piece of artwork to someone than my efforts in creating it and the intention of the piece exactly match that of the recipients. There really is nothing like it! I say again thank you to both my friend and my brother-n-law our connection to each other is now much greater!

So this brings me to my latest piece We Mutually Pledge.

This piece has been created to remind us that we are all Americans and as our Declaration of Independence so eloquently ended with we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Here is the last paragraph of that historic document.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

We are currently seeing this commitment being played out with the citizens of Ukraine, as they must defend themselves against an outside aggressor that wishes to control them. But the Ukrainian citizens want to have the right to freely control their own destiny and future as free people. Human dignity, freedom and liberty are not to be mandated or forcefully given or taken away by men. Each are God given rights that are worth defending at all costs and we are all equal in the eyes of God. We must fight for equality for all of humanity.

To the Ukrainian people “ми підтримуємо Україну”