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FRUIT HEIGHTS — Utah's Chad Hawkins is well known for his paintings of Latter-day Saint temples. But he recently won a major commission to create a scene from Afghanistan.
In 2007, Hawkins traveled to Afghanistan to work on a project. "When I got there it was horrible," he said. "To me, it wasn't third-world conditions. It was Stone Age."
Despite those conditions, little did Hawkins know that visit would eventually turn into one of the most significant works of his career.
With that experience, along with his extensive background, Hawkins won the commission from the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania. Each year the graduating class donates a painting to the college.
"They wanted a soldier, an American soldier, and they wanted children in Afghanistan," Hawkins said. "They wanted that scene in 2011 to honor the 10-year anniversary of our military serving in Afghanistan."
Hawkins' idea was to portray the children flying kites: a national pastime, but something forbidden under Taliban rule.
"The kite, to me, is symbolic culturally, but also it's important because it represents freedom," Hawkins said.
He says the children also represent a brighter day for their country. But most importantly, Hawkins says, none of this would be possible without the American soldier.
"The soldier is oblivious, unnoticed by the children. The children are just living their lives," he explained. "But their freedoms and their opportunities, whether they know it or not, is because of the soldiers that have gone before them and made it all possible."
Hawkins added a reflection of the American flag in a rock at the soldier's feet, and named his painting "The Rock of Hope and Freedom."
His own father is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army. "I was raised to pray for the military and to respect the flag, respect those who serve in the uniform, and I kept those feelings in my heart as I painted this picture," Hawkins said. "To do this painting was an honor, but to have it hang in those hallowed halls — in my opinion — where the future generals and leaders of our military walk, it's probably the highlight of my whole career."
Hawkins' painting will be unveiled July 19 at Carlisle Barracks, near Harrisburg, Penn.
Email: kaiken@ksl.com
