Veteran Artist Spotlights
Discover the extraordinary world of art through the lens of those who have served our nation. CBAW celebrates the unique talents and creative expression of Veteran Artists from our community. From battlefield to canvas, stage, page, and more, explore their remarkable journey and the profound impact of their artistry.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Valerie Acosta
Valerie Acosta served in the United States Air Force for 20 years before retiring in 2022. She is a self-taught visual artist and published photographer. Her mediums include acrylic, gouache, watercolors, pencils, pens, clay and wood. Her art has been exhibited at the Arches Gallery in the Workhouse Arts Center in Virginia. She is also a DoD-certified Master Resilience Trainer and loves to teach resiliency skills that can support mental health and replace misery with happiness.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Laura Joyce-Hubbard
Laura Joyce-Hubbard’s writing appears or is forthcoming in Poetry, The Iowa Review, The Sewanee Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. Recent awards include winner of The Iowa Review’s 2022 veteran writing award, winner of the 2021 Ned Stuckey-French Nonfiction Contest at Southeast Review, and runner-up of the 2021 Poetry Contest at The Sewanee Review. Her nonfiction was selected as “Notable” in Best American Essays 2022. She has nationally exhibited her award-winning photography and papermaking. Laura served in the US Air Force for twenty years and was among the first tier of women to pilot the C-130. She is a fiction editor for TriQuarterly and lives in Illinois with her family, where she currently serves as the inaugural Highland Park Poet Laureate.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Michael Matthews
During his 20 years in the Army, Michael Matthews deployed to Iraq twice, Afghanistan once, and once to Bosnia with the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, NY. Michael started the process of concluding his military career six years ago at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It was then that he regained his love for art that he enjoyed as a kid growing up in Baltimore, MD. As a kid, he mostly explored art through sketches and drawings. This time it was something new, he dove into painting with acrylics.
Since starting the transition process and retiring from the Army in the summer of 2018, he’s been on a path of learning. He earned an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in Building Trades in Carpentry from Montgomery College, and a degree in the Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Catholic University of America. He’s currently a graduate student at The Catholic University of America working towards a Masters’s degree in Architecture, majoring in Net Zero Design with a concentration in Sacred Space and Cultural Studies.
He enjoys the challenges architecture presents, the attention to detail, the geometry, the architecture tectonics, and the diversity of faucets the architecture field presents. Once he graduates from school, he plans to become a licensed architect and use his artistic creativity in designing spaces in the Build environment.
Today, Michael is a proud loving dad and lives in Rockville, Maryland.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Kim DeFiori
Kim DeFiori (she/her/hers) is a retired Army Officer. Last year she published her first book “Lessons from Thor: Healing with a Service Dog’s Touch” and had her first ever poem published in the CBAW Anthology “We Were Not Alone.” Kim received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the United States Military Academy, and MBA from Cornell University. She will start her PhD at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Health Policy and Management in the fall of 2022. Kim enjoys hanging out with cats, dogs, horses, and giraffes.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Kayla M. Williams
Kayla M. Williams was enlisted for five years as an Arabic linguist, serving in a Military Intelligence company of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). She authored the memoirs Love My Rifle More Than You and Plenty of Time When We Get Home, both published by W. W. Norton. Ms. Williams has also published numerous essays and op-eds, as well as fiction, poetry, and research reports. Kayla has a BA in English Literature from Bowling Green State University and an MA in International Affairs from American University.
Telling Your Truth: An Introduction to Memoir Writing
Thursday, July 20th at 7 PM EDT
Everyone has a story to tell – but are you ready to tell your own? Kayla Williams, who has published personal narratives as well as academic and opinion pieces, will lead a writing workshop for those interested in autobiographical writing. In addition to participating in generative exercises, participants will explore considerations for choosing between genres and publication options. No previous experience is required; beginners are welcome.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Kevin Basl
Kevin Basl (he/him) is a writer and musician living near Ithaca, New York. He was a mobile radar operator in the U.S. Army. Over the past decade, he has taught many writing and art-marking workshops for service members, veterans, and their communities. He’s author of Midnight Cargo: Stories and Poems (forthcoming from Illuminated Press), and he’s co-author of a chapbook of poems: Corn, Coal & Yellow Ribbons (Out of Step Press). Read some pieces written by Kevin by visiting his website, kevinbasl.com, and don’t forget to give him a follow on Instagram: @kevin.basl.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Shaun Smith
Our monthly spotlight series shines on artist Shaun Smith for the month of April.Shaun is a Retired U.S. Army Veteran and Fine Artist based in Northern Maine. Shaun served 10 years as a Combat Medic with a tour in Afghanistan. During that time he was awarded The...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Martin Cervantez
CBAW is proud to Spotlight Veteran Artist Martin Cervantez ahead of his March 9th workshop event.
Just ahead of his Professional Development Workshop for CBAW, we shine our spotlight on Veteran and Artist, Martin Cervantez for the month of March!
Martin J. Cervantez enlisted in the Army Signal Corps in July 1986 as an Illustrator. His most prestigious assignment was Artist in Residence at the U.S. Army Center of Military History where he was responsible for capturing the Army’s history through art. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM 2008, and 2011. During these deployments he produced artwork that visually recorded Soldiers’ experiences the Army’s achievements. Two of his oil paintings were recently featured in the National Constitution Center’s public exhibition “Art of the American Soldier” in Philadelphia.
Martin is a self-taught artist who has created art since he was a child. He’s used art as his own therapy during recovery from his recent six surgeries. Martin also advocates for veteran’s art programs, and was involved at the USO Ft Belvoir, and Walter Reed; Warrior Writers from Philadelphia, and Combat Paper New Jersey, and George Mason University. Cervantez is also known for turning the Workhouse guard towers into static kaleidoscopes by using colored films on the windows of the towers, creating a dynamic piece of art that changes with time of day, and position of view. The towers were featured in the L.A. Times; From Wrongs, Rights, Los Angeles Times, L1, Travel Section, November 2, 2017. He is the 2017 recipient of the Prince William County Kathleen Seefeldt Award for Outstanding Artist.
Martin’s art gained international acclaim for his Berlin Airlift mural/assemblage in Wiesbaden, Germany, 2018, which was commissioned by the United States Army Europe. Cervantez currently resides in San Diego, where he creates art, and gives workshops to veterans.
Read on for a CBAW Q&A session with Martin, and to take in some of the beautiful selections from his portfolio.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Willie Young
Our Veteran Artist Spotlight shines on photographer, writer, and Army Veteran, our friend and CBAW Board member Willie Charles Young Jr.Willie graduated from High School in 1993 from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. From...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Leslie Hidalgo
Multi-disciplinary artist Leslie Hidalgo is our inaugural 2023 Veteran Artist Spotlight.We are starting off our brand new year of CBAW Veteran Artist Spotlights with the amazing Leslie Hidalgo! Leslie is a 16 year Veteran of the United States Air Force, currently...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Joe Merritt
“This work saved my life. After I was retired from USMC, I started facilitating poetry and art workshops in military spaces. We had an amazing group of artistic visionaries on the team. I got to watch those workshops expand and grow and touch thousands of lives. There was never a doubt about the effectiveness of it. So, when the time came going into the non-profit sector made the most sense. The work that’s being done still amazes me.” -Joe Merritt, CBAW Co-Founder
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Ben Weakley
Today we are honored to spotlight someone who is no stranger to the CBAW community; Our friend and colleague, the incredible, the talented, Ben Weakley!
Ben Weakley spent fourteen years in the U.S. Army, beginning with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and finishing at a desk inside the Pentagon. He writes poetry and prose about the enduring nature of war and the human experience for veterans, their families, and anyone who would help them bear witness to war and its aftermath.
A believer in the power of words to empower and heal, Ben leads writing workshops for Active Duty Military, Veterans, their families and caregivers, as well as Frontline Health Care Workers and other communities of ordinary people bearing witness to a difficult world.
We sat down with Ben to discuss his craft in our Q&A session below.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Ward Mayfield
Ward Mayfield served as a combat engineer twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan, completing more than 300 missions clearing routes, and detecting and removing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from roadways for safe travel by U.S. forces.
“While I have never been very talented in the visual arts, my personal art is storytelling,” says Mayfield. “Relating my life experiences to folks is how I bond and remain connected to the people in my life. After being deployed a few times and my ensuing injuries, communicating my most important memories became nearly impossible. Two tours conducting route clearance, the finding and rendering safe of IEDs, found me being hit by a few bombs. During my recovery at Walter Reed in 2011, I was introduced to the process of healing self expression using a myriad of art styles. I am terrible at almost all of them. Through trial and error, I found that harmonica and woodworking are other ways I am able to express myself. Using my other two artforms when words were too difficult to move forward is how I was able to finish writing Lessons from Uncle Sam.”
Now retired and living in the greater Salt Lake City area in Utah, Mayfield continually looks for ways to serve others and give back in his community.
In his debut book, Lessons from Uncle Sam, Mayfield transports his audience from the comfort and safety of their lives to the raw and unpredictable cruelty of war, death, and destruction. “This is my story of what it’s like to survive an explosion and go back to work the next day, over and over, until it physically became impossible to continue,” says Mayfield, who earned two Purple Heart medals, an Army Commendation for Valor, and a Bronze Star. “I had to come to grips with going from powerful, agile, and intelligent to slow and sometimes very weak and confused after so many IED hits. And now, I’m finally at ease, even proud of, the mess I am today because I earned my scars and lessons. I want my words to help others who suffer.”
Learn more about Ward and his approach to art, writing, and creativity in our Q&A session.
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Belena Marquez
Our Veteran Artist Spotlight for the month of August shines on the wonderful Belena Marquez!Maj (Ret) Belena Stuart Marquez commissioned into the United States Air Force in 2008 from the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin College. She served as...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Natasha Lewis
Our July Veteran Artist Spotlight shines on Natasha Lewis, who will be facilitating a Paint Night for CBAW on Wednesday, July 6th at 7 pm ET! About Natasha: "I am 17-year Veteran Combat medic in the Army Reserve. I have been on five tours and have had the...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Alexis Laryea
This month for our Veteran Artist Spotlight, we share with you the amazingly talented Artist and Mental Health Counselor, Alexis Laryea! Alexis contributed to the CBAW Memorial Day painting and veteran poetry reading event last month, and we are so excited to share...
Veteran Artist Spotlight: Lesley C. Mose
We are proud to share with you, the story & work of talented veteran artist, Lesley Mose! Lesley has always been an artisan at heart. Even during her military career, she always did everything she could to gather as many military occupational specialties as...
