Dwight Rose
Medium: Water Color
Show: Vol. 2
The Battle of Hamburger Hill was fought from May 10–20, 1969 within the Vietnam War. The involvement of United States armed forces to aid South Vietnam against North Vietnamese forces was highly controversial and divided Americans, especially the youth and the establishment. Our heroic troops, mostly infantry in hand to hand combat, had little public support at home during and after this war. Many brave men lost their lives or were injured physically and psychologically.
This watercolor painting portrays these men in a battle of opposing forces, yet more importantly, in support of each other. Their training results in coordination regardless of the horrific arena, a critical part of a unit’s strength and ultimate success to their mission. The grit, fear, and pain are all part of the tactical maneuvers on the battle field. Above all the pride and respect that we hold for our veterans will never fade because we recognize their sacrifice. This painting is a tribute to these men and helps to remind all of what they do for us.
The process used in creating this painting involves the use of wet in wet watercolor washes, which usually sets the style for his work. Wet in wet includes a continuous layering of pigment creating translucent glazes of paint often applied in parts intuitively. Textures are created using a variety of techniques and tools. The paintings weight and substance supported by creating depth through contrast. Working towards a style that combines traditional painting techniques along with inherent personal characteristics is the impetus behind Rose’s current body of work.
Dwight Rose has a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Art in painting from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. He taught at Ringling in its degree and community art programs, and then taught at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. He teaches watercolor painting at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, and the Greenville Center for the Creative Arts in Greenville. A signature member of the South Carolina Water Media Society, he has received many awards in exhibitions throughout the region.