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| Valley Guardian by Martin Grelle |
I have to share a wonderful story. A colonel from the U.S. Army came into the gallery while he was home from Iraq. His name was Colonel Greg Adams. He was slowly taking in all the tremendous art we had on the walls at the time. Ok, so I'm a little bias, but I think the work we carry at
Coeur d'Alene Galleries is tremendous. Anyways, we started visiting and he was very taken with the quality of
Martin Grelle's work. Now, we've always carried both original works and limited edition giclees from Greenwich Workshop or Somerset Fine Art, and the colonel went on and on how he wished he could purchase one, but just couldn't justify it on his military salary. There was one work in particular that caught his eye, and it was called
The Valley Guardian by
Martin Grelle. It was a limited edition giclee, and the colonel was attracted to this specific painting because it reminded him of the valley he was in while he was in Iraq, and he thought it would be the perfect gift for an Iraqi general he had built a relationship with. The Iraqi general was working with the U.S. to expel Al Qaeda operatives in his valley, and he always talked about seeing "the West" and having something that represented "the West." Colonel Greg Adams thought this would be the perfect gift to help strengthen his relationship with Brigadier General Hatm and the rest of his tribe in Iraq. I thought it was a great idea, so we worked out a deal and to my surprise, about a year later, Colonel Adams came by the gallery again and gave me a picture and said that General Hatm loved the painting, and was honored to have "a piece of the West." I was really touched and I was glad I could be a small part of a wonderful story. There are so many benefits to owning art, and I think this story confirms the significance of art and how it represents our culture and how sharing art is a peaceful way to share different cultures. Who would have ever thought, that a small piece of art by a talented artist from Texas, purchased in Idaho, would make its way to Iraq to help strengthen our relationship with tribal leaders and generals of Iraq with the common goal to expel Al Qaeda operatives and promote overall safety for their people? Below is the picture, and below the picture is what Colonel Adams sent me via email. Every chance you get, thank our armed forces, because they fight for the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis and sometimes take for granted.
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| Colonel Greg Adams and Brigadier General Hatm with Martin Grelle's Valley Guardian |
Recently, Colonel Adams came into the gallery and reminded me of this great story, so I thought I would share what Colonel Adams sent me in an email after the exchange.
"Here is the photo of myself and then New Iraqi Army Brigadier General Hatm
in January 2010 where I presented him with a painting from your gallery in Coeur
d'Alene depicting a Native American warrior watching over his village. General
Hatm is next in line to be his tribal chief and was very courageous leading his
tribe to detect and extinguish Al Qaeda operatives from his region. He was
deeply touched by the painting which helped forge a bond between our two
countries. Thanks again for your support of our military and the great country
where we live."
Best,
Colonel Greg Adams
U.S Army Reserves
No, THANK YOU, Colonel Adams!
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