Veterans' art featured at Islip Arts Council exhibit to raise mental health awareness

The Islip Arts Council is showcasing an exhibit crafted by Long Island veterans armed with cameras, paint brushes and canvases. 

The exhibit displays the artistic skills of nine veterans, who each submitted their work to the Bay Shore gallery. This marks the second exhibit, which began last year, to bring awareness to service members’ mental health through paintings and photographs, including drone photography by Sean Fitzthum. Creating the art can be therapeutic, the veterans said.

Fitzthum, 43, of Babylon, has three photographs displayed in the exhibit. His artistic roots stretch back to childhood, but he said he swayed from his creative side during his military career, when he served in the Army from 2000 to 2006. It took moving back to Long Island and enrolling in art school for him to rediscover his passion. Now, he works as a professional photographer. 

Fitzthum, who taught art classes to veterans wounded in combat, said not enough emphasis is put on service members’ mental health. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that 143 veterans died by suicide in 2020 in New York State alone. 

“Attention needs to be brought to PTSD and wellness in general,” he said. “I think there’s a stigma that’s attached to PTSD. PTSD is just a normal reaction attached to an abnormal situation. … Certain intense moments can create a lasting effect on people.” 

Fitzthum is disabled from working around buzzing machinery, which caused him to develop ringing in his ears, or tinnitus. Tapping into his creative zone helps him block it out, he said. 

John P. Cardone, 74, of Ronkonkoma, enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam War. He served from 1968 to 1970 as an instructor and later a military photographer. When based in Colorado, he took photos of men returning from combat when they received honors or medals. 

“I talked to a lot of them and I know how they suffered, and they suffered greatly,” he said. “My heart goes out to them, because I was so fortunate.” 

Although Cardone didn’t see combat, he later faced anguish when he was diagnosed twice with lymphoma. To cope with the trauma of his diagnoses, he turned to nature photography, which was an “amazing way” to work through the stress and fear of having cancer, he said. Now, two of his photos are on display in the gallery. 

“Whether I was kayaking on calm water or hiking or visiting a hummingbird garden, those kinds of activities will clear the confusion and the worry, the nervousness and just calm you down,” he said. 

Other artists featured in the exhibit are John J. Brennan, Carrie Anne Gonzalez, Rosemary Lamb-Mourey, Pat Marino, John Melillo, Angel Ramos and Jesse Williams. 

Art helps express feelings and manage stress and anxiety, said Glen Cove Hospital art therapist Lauren Ptarcinski. Creating art as a therapeutic outlet is growing in popularity thanks to an increased focus on mental health and self-care, she said. 

“Art is therapeutic. It takes people's mind off of things,” Ptarcinski said. “It’s not about what you’re getting as the end result, it’s about creating.” 

A free reception will be held Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. at 1701 Sunrise Hwy. Suite N1. the exhibit is open until Nov. 15.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.