La Salle’s ‘Portrait of Courage’ Honors Men and Women in Uniform

15-year-old Taylor Brennan, a student at La Salle High School in Pasadena, has founded the Portraits of Courage Club to honor men and women in uniform by offering their artistic talent to draw and/or paint portraits of soldiers in recent wars and in military service who will submit a photo to be painted or drawn.

Incidentally, Brennan has been selected as an ABC News KOOL KID for his work with the club he founded, Portraits of Courage. ABC shot the club meeting and students working on February 1st, after school. The feature focused on Taylor and the members of the club.

Club moderator Joanne Lamb said the club is designed to give talented art students an opportunity to get together with other like-minded artists and give back to the courageous men and women in the armed services who protect our freedom and our lives every day.

“This club will be a group of talented artists from our school that want to ‘give back’ and ‘give of their talent’ to families of soldiers that have fought in the recent wars,” Lamb said. She added, “These students, following my instruction, will draw and paint portraits of men and women soldiers and then give these paintings or charcoal drawings to their families to honor them for their service. It will be an artistic ‘Thank You’ for the men and women of the armed forces who keep us safe everyday so we can live free.”

The club’s thrust is part of the LaSallian tradition to “give service,” Lamb added.

According to her, LaSalle will sponsor the supplies but they are also looking for a local art store that will sponsor the cost of the matting of these pictures “so we can present the drawing/paintings to the families as a neat, matted original work of art that they can then frame and hang in their homes.”

At the same time, Lamb is encouraging families of soldiers to send photographs of their sons and daughters that they want to have artists of Portraits of Courage render from.

Families that are interested in participating must send between one and three pictures of the person they want to have painted or drawn (these photographs do not all have to be straight portraits but can be their son/daughter in a more casual pose if they want) and preferably a 5×7 photo or larger.

“We would like them to choose a size they want the finished portrait to be: 8×10, 11×14, 16×20 or 20×24. (or indicate no preference) We would like them to choose what medium they would prefer the portrait done in, pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, or acrylic paint. (or indicate no preference). We will also need a return address and contact number,” Lamb said.

They can send the photos and information to: ‘Portraits of Courage’, C/o Mrs. Lamb- Art Teacher, La Salle High School, 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107.

For more information and to speak with Lamb directly, you can e-mail at jlamb@lasallehs.org or jojomclamb@msn.com. or on this cell at (818)430-7871.