Green Turban

When I was serving in Afghanistan 2011-2012, I came across a photo in the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes of a man whose son had just killed four French NATO soldiers in Kapisa. His name was Muhammad Nur. I was struck by his eyes. So I decided to paint him, but made his gray beard darker in order that he might more closely resemble his son. By a lucky accident of the watercolors, I managed to catch the father's flinty look quite well. I kept this painting in my office, first in Kabul and later in Washington, as a constant reminder of the degree of difficulty our mission there entailed.

This painting is matted and framed to 19 x 21 inches.