Look in my eyes, at war's essence

They are the faces of ordinary people forever changed by war. Twenty-two oil paintings, so far. Portraits of soldiers, peace activists, contractors and others who have had an up- close and personal view of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their faces and statements about their views are part of an intimate exhibit, called "100 Faces of War Experiences," that opens today at the St. Paul Central Library.

Artist Matt Mitchell, an Arden Hills native who lives in Massachusetts, says his goal is to find at least one person from each state to paint on his way to amassing 100 faces total. Already, two Minnesotans are featured.

The Rev. Tim Vakoc, the U.S. Army chaplain who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury after he was struck by a roadside bomb blast in Iraq; and Koufan Hersons, a U.S. Marine staff sergeant who served as an aviation mechanic in Fallujah in 2004. The Hmong serviceman was granted citizenship after he returned from his Iraq tour.

Mitchell said he came up with the idea two years ago because he wanted to learn more about what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan from the people involved.

"The broadest goal is that people come away from the show and they can't help but talk and think about it," he said. "My hope is that they'll spend some more time thinking about what these wars mean."

He plans to take the exhibit to other cities, but there are no solid dates yet. He also is looking for more subjects, who can apply on his website.

Hersons, who lives in St. Paul, met Mitchell through Minnesota legislator and activist Cy Thao, himself an accomplished artist. In Hersons' portrait, he wears his uniform and a serious expression. His statement, like so many others, is surprising, revealing and thought-provoking. It reads: "Throughout my life I've heard many people say you should do things that you enjoy or love to do as a career. However, I have learned that some of us are fortunate and get to do what we enjoy or love to do for a living, but many of us will have to do what we must do and not what we enjoy or love to do."

In an interview, he elaborated.

"When I look at the whole community I grew up with and my family, I kind of see it that way -- not exactly everybody gets to do what they love to do. Sometimes you have to do whatever you need to do to survive and pay the bills," he explained.

He and his family came to the United States in 1987 when he was 9. He had spent some time in the refugee camps in Thailand before immigrating. Times were tough economically for him and his family, but a lot of his teachers and friends always said, "When it comes to choosing a career, you can do what you love."

Hersons finished high school and went to college to fulfill his dream of becoming an airline pilot. But it became too costly and he couldn't finish. He saw ads for the armed services and noticed they offered money for college. He decided to enlist.

Looking back, he said, it was a good decision. He has nine years experience under his belt and is now a recruiter. He's proud of what he's accomplished so far.

As for the portrait project, he wasn't sure what to expect. At first, Hersons wondered if it would be anti-military. But after exploring the artist's website, where some of the 22 portraits and statements can be found, he concluded there's no slant.

"It's open to whatever people want to say," he said.

Mitchell describes his exhibit as nonpartisan. He said he just wants to show the human experience of war. Even though his subjects don't all agree on policy decisions, there is common ground.

"The thing that I found was that the people who I've met through this project have been very preoccupied with the rightness of what they're doing. And very preoccupied with the Afghani and Iraqi people -- trying to figure out what is best," he said.

In creating the portraits, he met with each person for an hour, trying to get a sense what each one was like. Then he took out a camera and snapped a photo. The snapshots served as models that he would refer to when painting each face.

His meeting with Vakoc was particularly moving, Mitchell recalled.

The priest, whose communication was limited to a few words, eye movements and hand squeezes, appeared very determined to the artist. After chatting awhile, Mitchell told Vakoc that he'd take his photo.

The priest, who can move his left arm, raised his arm and held up his rosary beads. "For everyone else in the project, I haven't allowed hand gestures," Mitchell said. "But for him, I made an exception because I said, 'This is a form of self-expression.'"

Both Vakoc and Hersons are expected to attend the exhibit's opening reception Saturday afternoon, along with family and friends. This is the first time the St. Paul Central Library has hosted an art exhibit, library officials said, but they plan more art exhibits in the future. Susan Vento, widow of former U.S. Congressman Bruce Vento, was instrumental in bringing the "100 Faces" project to St. Paul.

"I was so moved by them," Vento said of the portraits. "To see the faces, it really changes the whole conversation about the war and everything else."

Allie Shah • 651-298-1550

Allie Shah • ashah@startribune.com