How Far Is Heaven?

This was my first outside assignment for my second year of art class. We had to incorporate a frame into it somehow, and also had to do some sort of a horizontal line in it as well. The theme was "Memento Mori", which basically means that all living things have to die eventually.

So. Since one of my friends had died right about the time that this was assigned...I wanted to sort of dedicate something to him. I said I'd explain about that when I posted this...so. His name was Travis, I knew him from when we were in CAP (Civil Air Patrol), and I used to talk to him sometimes on AIM/MSN. This was back when I was in like...7th grade. He enlisted into the army while I was still in CAP, and some time later after training and all that, he left for Iraq. This must have been...somewhere around 8th grade or freshman year, I don't remember. In September, we found out that he'd died while in Iraq. He'd taken his own life. He had just turned 19.

I felt so bad that I hadn't gotten to know him better...that I hadn't talked to him more, especially lately...I went to his funeral about a couple of weeks after we found out. It was so sad. I wish I could have seen everyone from CAP again (after three years...) under better circumstances.

So...that's me, in the picture. I'm in my CAP pants, boots, and black t-shirt. I'm just kinda lying there, thinking...thinking about how I would have felt if I were in a situation like that. I'd be wondering how far away heaven is, when things were going to get better, if at all...and so in the dreamy blob there, that's how I sort of see 'heaven'. The whole time I kept thinking about the song "How Far Is Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys (a song that my mom really likes) so yeah. That's what I'm thinking in the picture. I'm kind of reaching for it, there, too.

That was long, but it kind of had to be. This piece has a lot of meaning to me. You'd have to understand the situation and all that. I said I'd explain about my friend who died when I posted this, and so...here you go.

I thought this kinda sucks but everyone else seems to like it so...yeah. Don't know how well I really did with the whole dedication thing. I tried, at least.

Oil + chalk pastels on canvas (16x20 or something like that)
© me. Do not steal/copy/repost elsewhere.

We'll always love you, Travis