Military Art

Local Artist/Contributor Garry McElfresh Focuses on Military & Americana Themes through His Art Business/Hobby

His Art Demonstrates that Beauty Can be Found in the Middle of War

When Northeast Indiana artist Garry McElfresh was a young man during the Vietnam War era, he joined the U.S. Navy with aspirations of serving his country. However, nature had other plans, as he received a medical discharge during basic training when a previously undiagnosed heart murmur was discovered. Since he was unable to fulfill his military aspirations, McElfresh decided to use his artistic talents to develop a collection of images with a military theme that focus on military personnel in the field. These illustrations depicit the many aspects of “A Day in the Life of a Soldier” and demonstrate that beauty can be found in the middle of war.

McElfresh’s images, which are featured above, on the front cover and throughout this Warrior Writers of Fort Wayne anthology, are based on real-life subjects or images. Using his artistic license, he translates these into original artwork by using pencil, ink pen or colored chalk to illustrate them on paper. Through this technique, he preserves scenes from “A Day in the Life of a Soldier” and Americana that rest forever in the viewers’ hearts and minds.

McElfresh grew up in Jay County, Indiana, and is a graduate of Portland High School. After his brief stint with the U.S. Navy, he worked in various blue-collar jobs in east-central and northern Indiana. During this time, he invested more than 30 years in perfecting techniques for his portrait drawings and illustrations.

He moved to Fort Wayne in 1993 and studied art at a local university. For the past decade, McElfresh has focused his efforts on creating his artwork, which is sold through his business, Rainbow Eagle Art, LLC, in the form of greeting cards, calendars and posters. He also does commissioned artwork by request, working from your original photographs.