Former Marine and UNC Charlotte student Rob Bates has served on two active duty tours in Afghanistan. This past December he went back, not as a soldier, but as an embedded combat artist, returning to the war-torn country to sketch the drawdown of U.S. forces. Many of his drawings are photo realistic - he draws soldiers' portraits, combat scenes and military posts, sometimes having to make a decision on the spot if it's safe enough to sketch now or photograph a scene to draw later. Some of his work is part of the combat art collection at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. We'll talk about his work as an artist, a Marine and get his "boots on the ground" perspective of the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan. (Originally Aired 1/22/2013)
Guest
Rob Bates - 8 year veteran in the Marine Corps infantry, he's served three overseas tours while on active duty - once to east Asia and twice to Afghanistan. He's a freelance combat artist and UNC Charlotte student.
- View more of Rob's art on his blog.
- Rob Bates will join CPCC's arts festival Sensoria to speak with students about his experience as a Marine, embedded illustrator and the work of The Joe Bonham Project. The exhibit will run April 15-23rd at CPCC's Overcash Center with a lecture April 17th at 10:30 in Tate Hall and a panel discussion on April 20th in Bryant Hall. Details.