Portrait Freedom Project Underway

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must,like men,undergo the fatigue of supporting it."--Thomas Paine

http://groups.msn.com/scrollsawportraits/homepage

I "stopped by" the "Ready Room" today ( a little U.S. Navy aviation terminology there) to see how we're doing on this project.This is a project that's being self funded by scroll saw artists around the world to honor Allied service members who have fallen in the Iraq/Afghanistan War.

I am proud and honored to be a member of this group of artists!

Below is a copy of our press release that is being used to spread the word.Please feel free to download a copy of this and present it to your local media.

We have very strict quality control measures in place on this project.

At the end of this post I have attached one of the portraits that I have cut for this project,along with the original photo for comparison.
For the privacy of the families , I have omitted the names.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From: Scroll Saw Portraits Group

Contact: Gary Browning, 717-593-0648 after 6 pm Eastern Time

Portrait Freedom Underway

Members of the MSN Scroll Saw Portraits group with membership from all over the United States, Canada and beyond are embarking on a huge project where they will create a custom wooden portrait of every fallen soldier of the Afghan/Iraqi war and donate it to the families.

Their goal is to create and cut a wooden portrait of every fallen soldier. It is something they want to do to show their support of our military personnel and to honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms. There is no charge to the family for requesting a portrait.

The Scroll Saw Portraits group consists of over 2600 scroll saw artists and hobbyist worldwide. There are those who will design a pattern from a photograph of each soldier and then pass it to another member who will cut the pattern in wood using their scroll saw, frame it and send it to the family.

Their biggest challenge right now is getting photographs to work with. “We are appealing to individual family members or a contact person from each military base that can provide us with photographs of our fallen soldiers,” says Gary Browning, manager of MSN Scroll Saw Portraits group.

They expect their Portrait Freedom project to take some time, depending on the participation of family members and contact points. Their main concentration is on our US Military personnel but will include fallen soldiers of the coalition forces as well.

If you are a family member or know of a family member who has lost a son, daughter, husband or wife in the Afghan/Iraqi conflict, you can request information by contacting PortraitFreedom@hotmail.com. Due to the magnitude of this project, portraits are only available to the immediate family of the Fallen Hero. Each family will receive 2 portraits.

Military bases are also encouraged to get in contact with them if they can help with gathering photographs of personnel they have lost from their base. A contact person who can get the word out about the Portrait Freedom project to families who may not be aware of the project and who can gather photographs and coordinate getting the completed portrait to the families would be an immense help to the project.

For more information on Project Freedom, visit their web site at http://groups.msn.com/SSPSoldierPortraits/homepage

A Horse Is A Horse Of Course Of Course

Surely you have a story you could weave around this stately equine portrait.Is it your first horse, a show winner, or perhaps a derby or steeplechase winner?Does it conjure up childhood memories?

When I started creating this portrait, my mind began wandering back to an old childhood memory of watching a television show called Mr. Ed.

Mr. Ed was a talking horse who would never let anyone hear him but his master Wilbur. But the crazy thing is, they would actually engage in intelligent conversation.

You can find out more about this "Lucky Horse" portrait at his stable in my online etsy shop.
http://uploads.etsy.com/edit_listing5.php?listing_id=5990998

Unicorns DO exist!

I heard some very strange noises in my shop last evening.As I went to investigate,much to my surprise,there stood a Unicorn! I wrestled with him for quite some time and I finally captured him before he got away.You can see him on the website at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5975662

Be sure to bring the children! After all this,I need some rest.Good night.

Lead in Jewelry

Today I ventured out to read a few blogs from artisans over at etsy.com.The first one I visited is from Enthral. Enthral is a jewelry maker and has began research to determine if any of the materials she uses may contain lead.In her blog she has currently listed some items that may contain lead.This list includes ,but isn't limited to such items as pottery, pre 1972 dinnerware, and old metal buttons.

She has also purchased lead testing kits, and will continue to update her list as she discovers more lead bearing items.

She has also provided the links in her blog to the sites where she found this information.This will be very valuable information to watch for and may mandate taking a closer look at those family heirlooms that have been handed down.

To keep up to date on this issue, visit her post on this here: http://enthral-enthral.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-concerns-about-lead-continued.html

Joined the Carolina Etsy team

I recently joined the Carolina Etsyians and attended my first monthly meeting with them on May 12.Not knowing what to expect when I arrived,I meekly approached the meeting area.My self introduction was quickly met with the greeting responses as though I were a longtime friend.Being a new kid on the block in the Etsy community, it was a valuable learning experience.The other members present were very willing to share tips and answer any questions that I had.I would like to thank all who were there for making me feel welcome!

That's all for now.

Rod

Crown Of Thorns

This captivating portrait is entitled Crown Of Thorns.The full impact of the agony is realized by separating Jesus' face from the thorns.This portrait was made using Oak ,and is also sealed in the back.

This is also available on the website. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5583127