I am fascinated by the wars of the 20th Century and thoroughly enjoy learning as much as I can about them.

The Battle of Okinawa was considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater. The Americans lost roughly 12,000 and had 36,000 wounded troops along with the Japanese troops suffering a staggering 110,000 death count. Both sides suffered greatly, and only months later, the Japanese surrendered, finally ending the Second World War.

USMC Private First Class Paul E. Ison : ‘Death Valley’ Okinawa, Japan – May 10, 1945 . Photo taken by Bob Bailey

Above is the famous photo taken by Bob Bailey of USMC Private First Class Paul E. Ison. He is seen here running through “Death Valley” on Okinawa, Japan on May 10, 1945. Okinawa. The movement and action can be felt through the photo; it is extremely impactful.

I wanted to capture this photo in the style of my previous pieces; capturing the major shadows in black and filling in the colors for the rest of the figure. I did my best to match the colors since the photo is black and white. I will be going back in and experimenting with a possible background and to alter the overall composition of the illustration.

Photo : https://pfcison.com/