Vietnam 2 Soldiers, 2 Artists, 2 Journeys: Then & Now

From helicopters and hand grenades to watercolors and canvases, two Tennessee artists and veterans have come together for a one-of-a-kind show highlighting their visual interpretations of Vietnam. David Wright’s sketches and photographs from his tour in 1965 combine with Chuck Creasy’s modern watercolors for the exhibit Vietnam: 2 Soldiers, 2 Artists, 2 Journeys Then & Now.

SECOND & COMMERCE: These artworks strike a different tone than most other art exhibits related to the Vietnam War. How did this show come together for you two?

CHUCK CREASY: We never talked about Vietnam. We both knew we were there, just didn’t discuss it. When I came back, and I know a lot of Vietnam vets feel the same way... it was like I was coming back to the world. That was a different thing over there, I was leaving it all behind. But I always wanted to go back, I talked about that for years. So, when I turned 70 in 2018, my daughter and youngest son said “Dad, we’re taking you back to Vietnam for your birthday.”

DAVID WRIGHT: When Chuck and I started talking about this show... it wasn’t the anguish of war that we wanted to project. A big part of it is the people. That's what the exhibit primarily shows, not the combat. I did drawings all throughout my year there, and some more when I came back based on photographs I had taken. That’s what I related to – the people I served with, the people that I knew and met... some we lost.

I’ve been to several Vietnam art shows since the 80s, and as I recall, most of them are of anguish and pain. War is not the good side of anything, of course, but hopefully our show projects a different aspect of what we experienced. The impact of the paintings Chuck has done... I don’t know if 'healing' is the right word or not. To go back to somewhere where you experienced so much pain and anguish 50 years earlier, to see what it has become today, to portray that in full color.

CC: Like David, I’ve seen a lot of Vietnam shows that were strictly combat-oriented. I saw enough of that in real life, I didn’t need to see that in one dimension on paper. The difference in our show is that the underlying tone of it, I think, is uplifting. It's what happened to a country that was torn completely apart, and had been for years. When I was there, I was out in the bush with an infantry company... it was not pleasant. But underlying what I felt was the beauty of that country and the strength and tenacity of the people. It kind of haunted me after I came back, what happened over there. I wanted to go back and see what they had done, and they have reinvented that country. It doesn’t surprise me, because the people have so much ingenuity and creativity. When I went back and sketched and took photos, I gravitated toward the people and the beauty of the country... I tried to record that on paper.

S&C: What do you hope audiences take away from this exhibit? Some may have been right there with you, while younger visitors may be several generations removed from that era.

DW: After all these years, we were curious about what the show would look like and how it would be perceived. One of the most rewarding things has been the stories that veterans have shared. There have been some pretty personal experiences related to them coming back and seeing some of this stuff, seeing it through their eyes. The other folks you’re talking about, I don’t know how they’ll view anything of this sort, in the sense that it’s a history of a long time ago.

CC: Of the people who I’ve talked to who have seen the show, the ones that were most interested were those who saw it as a personal experience, a roadmap of the past. It was, and is, very personal.

I would hope that the youth today would be inspired to dig deep enough to look at that war and see some of the mistakes that were made, and not repeat them. That and, regardless of their political views and feelings, that they take away some type of appreciation for the people that fought it, whether they wanted to be there or not.

DW: That’s a good point, Chuck. This show is not a political statement at all. We're not trying to push a point here that there is a right or wrong to war. It is a record of the people that he and I met, and what we saw during that time and now – which is not to sugarcoat war either, by any means. What Chuck is portraying today is still people. They're real, and they’re alive, and the landscapes are beautiful. The landscapes were beautiful back then, when they weren't being bombed off the face of the earth. Chuck brings it full circle with his paintings. At the end of the day, it’s a record of something we have both taken part in over a period of fifty-something years.

S&C: David, have you thought about going back and seeing what inspiration you might find in Vietnam today?

DW: I know several vets who have gone back, and every single one of them, universally, says that they are glad they did it. I don’t have any real desire to go back and see it, except for those guys right there [pointing to a sketch of a Montagnard soldier, a term for the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam]. I’d like to go back to those villages. My experience with them was really special, and that’s the reason why I have several drawings of them. If I went back, I’d make my tour up there to the highlands and see what happened to them.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Vietnam: 2 Soldiers, 2 Artists, 2 Journeys Then & Now is presented by the Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center. The exhibit is on view at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center through August 14. Read more about these artists and their stories in the exhibit catalogue available in Seasons: The Museum Store.

davidwrightart.com chuck-creasy.pixels.com

David Wright (left) is known for his paintings of rural landscapes and scenes of the American frontier. A lifelong artist, his career took a two-year break in 1964-65 when he was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army, where he ultimately volunteered for duty in Vietnam and served as an advisor with Military Assistance Command Vietnam.

Chuck Creasy (right) served as an artillery forward observer in 1967-68, later returning home to launch a career as an advertising creative. He now dedicates his time to fine art endeavors, capturing a variety of subjects in watercolor.

Montagnard Chief, Duc My, Highlands David Wright, 1965 Pencil on paper

Huey UH-1B Gunship Waiting for a Mission David Wright, 1965 Pencil on paper

Little Girl in Red – Da Nang Chuck Creasy, 2019 Watercolor on paper

Cluster of Fishing Boats Sitting Still Chuck Creasy, 2020 Watercolor on paper