Suzy Shealy
Suzy Shealy, whose son, Sgt. Joseph Derrick, was killed in Iraq, began painting as a means of coping with her loss. For subject matter, she draws from more than 500 snapshots that were returned with her son’s effects. She began with a small rendering of a military scene called “Night Watch.” (Brett Flashnick / For The Times)
Shealy paints in a studio in her home, where the originals of some of her Iraq series hang on the walls. She sells prints of some and gives the proceeds to charity. (Brett Flashnick / For The Times)
Suzy Shealy’s “Calling Home” depicts a soldier named Chris Woo with his cellphone in Iraq. Woo served in Iraq with Shealy’s son, Sgt. Joseph Derrick, before Derrick was killed by sniper fire. (Brett Flashnick / For The Times)
Some of the photos from Sgt. Joseph Derrick’s flash drive are of Derrick himself, taken by others. But his mother has not yet brought herself to paint those scenes. This Shealy painting is of his friend, Del Plato, mourning at his memorial service in Iraq. The title is “No Greater Love.” (Brett Flashnick / For The Times)
