introduction

Every year, tens of thousands of hopeful young men and women begin the application process to the United States Naval Academy (USNA). It’s a stat commonly recited at guest tours and in inspiring videos.

But why do they do it?

What would spark so many young people to voluntarily offer themselves to the toil of indoctrination, the rigid structure of a four-year military college, and then years of active-duty service? Especially considering there are plenty of ways to earn a commission in the United States Navy or Marine Corps beyond a traditional service academy.

The answer to that question cannot be found within these pages, but instead, within the thousands of souls who throw their name in the hat every year.

While the reasons for applying are vast, the result is a fascinating and diverse brigade of midshipmen all encountering the same rituals as they progress through their four years of USNA. Each perspective will be slightly different than the next.

The paintings you are about to see will explore some of these moments.

PREFACE

The paintings you are about to see will explore human moments of an institutional process, inspired by an average experience. This body of work is as much about the journey of creating as the story it depicts.

Even as I write this, with hundreds of paintings completed, the paintings feel as if they are works in progress. I did not learn to paint at Annapolis—not in the way I learned to lead. Part of dissecting this experience was also an education in artmaking. I learned as I went, trying new ideas, discovering a ton of ways that didn’t work, and slowly coming to terms with my own hand as paintings materialized.

When you look at the paintings, pay attention to what stands out to you. I made intentional creative decisions to support the ideas:

1. Style: Paintings are loose and impressionistic, painted (mostly) in an “alla prima” approach. (“Alla prima,” meaning “wet into wet,” is a more modern method of oil painting, as opposed to thin layers over time, which is more common in classical realism styles.) This style lends itself well to blurry details, which allow for the viewer to see themselves in the work.

2. Size: The original versions of these paintings typically range between 9”x12” and 24”x30”. This relatively small canvas reflects the short moments they depict. Breaking down the components into small paintings gives space to reflect.

3. Curation and Storytelling: The moments I chose to share through paintings are ones the average midshipman would probably have a memory of. Naval Academy graduates are diverse, and one person will experience an event differently from the next[LG7] . It is my hope that these shared experiences invite empathetic conversation that broadens perspectives. If you are a graduate, reflect on your versions of these stories. If you know someone who is one, ask them what their experience was like. If you have no connection whatsoever to the Naval Academy, what are some experiences you have had that relate to what you see here?

This book is not just for the ones who have walked the halls of Bancroft. It is for anyone who’s taken a journey that formed them or who has an idea to express creatively. I have a feeling one of those things may resonate with you.

This is a book for you to observe a journey intimately experienced and recounted one brush stroke at a time, portrayed in a way seemingly foreign to the rigidity of military training.

There is an emphasis on the fond nostalgia of it all, what I kept after I wrestled with the gritty parts with quiet and honest perspective. 

The place isn’t perfect. No institution is. But despite the weak spots, the moments any given midshipman would rather not relive, there is something about the process that impacts one thousand graduates and their families year after year. It took me time to chew on it all, but I came out the other end with gratitude for the experience above all else.  

I hope that you not only find parallels with your own life-changing stories (military related or not) within these pages, but that you also find the courage to dig into those stories and express them in the way only you can.