James Lightle
Art is a way for me to express myself. I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2007 after being injured on a military tour of duty in Afghanistan, and the art therapy program at Homewood provided the means to find myself again. When I pick up a brush, pen, camera, chisel and knives, I lose myself in the beauty around me. I lost my joy for life but found it again through art.
I work in several mediums just to be able to help get the point across that I am trying to convey. My point is the simple things in life are taken for granted. From the ways the clouds can create images in the sky to the way a dog shakes its tail; I paint, sculpt and photograph the things not always seen or the things that are seen, but not the way they should be. War might have changed my mind and my body but it did give me the ability to love life and to cherish each day like most people will never know. I use my mind to imagine, I use my hands to create and I always put my heart into it. With art you create and with art you heal.
