VETART holds pop-up art cafe showcasing veterans' art in Paso Robles 

There is something about the nature of the artist that resonates with Deprise Brescia—it illuminates the forgotten and castaway parts of people and helps them process the sometimes scary emotions that come to the surface.

On April 22 the Veterans Pop-Up Arts Cafe at the Deprise Brescia Art Gallery in Paso Robles will showcase the healing nature of art that Brescia hopes will resonate with visitors as much as it does with her.

"For people to walk away and go, 'I've struggled through a lot, and art might be a good way to express myself and deal with those emotions,'" she said. "It's incredibly powerful, and I am happy we have the opportunity to showcase that."

click to enlarge

• Photo Courtesy Of Deprise Brescia Art Gallery
• DOWNTOWN DISPLAY Located in downtown Paso Robles, the VETART pop-up event at the Deprise Brescia gallery will be open to all to appreciate and learn more about veteran-made art.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a variety of art made by San Luis Obispo County veterans including sculptures, paintings, jewelry, films, music, literature, poetry, spoken word, glass, metal, digital art, and other mixed media.

"There really is no limit to the type of art veterans can submit for an event like this," Brescia said. "We really want to offer an event that embraces all of it."

The pop-up is one of the multiple events coordinated by the Vista, California, based Veterans Art Project (VETART) and sponsored by California's Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the goal of bringing mental health resources for veterans to counties across California via these art showcases.

"These artists have experienced things that are so intense—things like hiding in their closet suffering from breakdowns brought on by PTSD—but art has given them a place to heal and express themselves in a way that is much healthier," Brescia said.

Brescia has worked with VETART over the years hosting events similar to this pop-up, including Veterans' Voices and Wings of Change, but she feels now more than ever is the time to showcase how much these veterans have grown alongside their art over the years.

"Sometimes you can't always tell that art—any kind of art—engages that right part of your brain and opens up these paths of creativity," she said. "It has this physiological effect on the body that calms you and de-stresses you when you tap into creativity like that—it reaffirms who you are as a human."

click to enlarge

• Photo Courtesy Of Deprise Brescia Art Gallery
• BEAUTIFUL BAIT John Somics' wood carving Monterey Jack is just one of the veteran-made pieces that will be featured at the upcoming VETART event in Paso Robles.

Brescia says that seeing veterans realize they can express themselves and grow through trauma using the artistic process is an incredibly powerful aspect of art many are often too intimidated by to really approach.

"Some people might feel that they aren't 'good enough' to do art, but it is like, 'Yes, you are,'" she said. "People need that pat on the back and encouragement to go and express themselves through art."

One of the veteran artists featured at this event and past events who epitomizes those sentiments is John Somics—a Vietnam War Army veteran who shares Brescia's view that art can be used as a means to heal the trauma that comes with serving in combat overseas.

"A lot of people don't really know what soldiers went through in those 10 years of conflict over there," he said. "It really affects you mentally—no matter how long you spent that time abroad and how often you think about it."

Somics specializes in making sculptures out of things ranging from marble to metal to wood—anything he can obtain that gets his hands moving.

click to enlarge

• Photo Courtesy Of Deprise Brescia Art Gallery
• HELPFUL HEALING Through art, John Somics has found a pathway to expressing himself and a peace that has helped him come to terms with trauma from serving in the Vietnam War.

"I'm the kind of person where if I am not doing something with my hands I am just not comfortable," he said. "That's why I do so many mediums of art because if I get bored with whatever it is I'm working on at the moment, I can switch to something else to keep my passion fresh and exciting."

In particular, he's contributed several large fishing lure-like sculptures carved out of wood that highlight his love of simple beauty present in the everyday objects found around him.

"One day I was looking through my collection and I had this realization that these things were beautiful and an art piece within themselves," Somics said. "So I started making these larger-than-life versions of them—sure you can't use them like a traditional lure, but they really highlight just how intricate those regular lures can be."

Somics hopes that his passion for art, alongside the other veterans, reminds the community that people like him do exist and have so much to express after their service—and that should events like the VETART pop-up continue to be successful, veterans will continue to get the attention and help they need.

"If it wasn't for art, I would probably be a very different person," he said. "Events like this will help vets like myself let people know that we are still here, we are healing, and we have so much to offer in everything that we do." Δ

Freelancer Adrian Vincent Rosas is appreciating the healing power of art. Reach him at [email protected].