In 2012, Courage Ablaze included seven-foot pillars portraying Congo’s stories of rape and images of the fierce determination of Congolese women. An eight-foot copper tree, the Flame Tree, held charred frames representing the eight million people slaughtered in Congo’s holocaust. The small pillars portrayed the courageous survivors rising up out of the ashes and rebuilding…
My definition of being a human who cares about her world began to change in 2011, when I collided with Josephine and other Congolese refugees living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time, my knowledge of Congo didn’t extend beyond a country located on the map. For the next year, I began to research Congo’s…
Told in Josephine’s own words “My husband and I heard a man knock on the door. The door was largely open. Soldiers were emerging inside the house; we made a loud noise and asked rescue to anyone who could hear us. “I started to cry, and my husband cried too. I could not imagine that…
Viewer Responses Amazing process in how you work the face. The mouth being the last part of the painting. Women who had been seemingly silenced by horrific circumstances—reawakened with the restoration of their voice through accompaniment of listening hearts and ears that gift compassion and hope. Maura I see the past pain in her eyes…
After posting Sabina’s story and image a few months ago, my friend Laurie asked me to paint another Congolese work. But Laurie’s request posed two challenges for me. The first challenge was to paint a watercolor painting. Four years ago, I had tucked away my watercolor paints—partly in frustration with my watercolor work at the…
In November, twenty-five Courage Ablaze paintings—highlighting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s genocide and massive-scale rape—were donated to various West Michigan refugee non-profits. I would like to thank Marvin Veltkamp for making the donations possible. Marvin, and his wife, Joy, serve the African refugees here in America and in Africa—where they have started a sustainable farm…