Sgt. Mario Lopez lost his right arm and most of his left hand in combat — and picked up a paintbrush during recovery.Mario Lopez lost his right arm and most of his left hand in combat — and picked up a paintbrush during recovery. He hasn't put it down since.

Ricky Tavitas served 13 years in the Army before a 2020 accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Using assistive technology that translates facial movements into cursor control, he returned to the graphic design he set aside for the military — and never stopped.

Neville Bridgeford picked up a camera at a PX in Afghanistan to pass the time. He never put it down. The 2016 NCAG Veteran Artist Grant recipient works in photography and acrylic painting, finding in both a path through the post-traumatic stress he carried home from deployment.

Kyle Foster survived an IED explosion in Afghanistan, earned the Purple Heart, and came home to reinvent himself — getting married, starting a family, and pursuing art at Metro Community College. The 2015 NCAG Veteran Artist Grant recipient works in charcoal, pastel, and pencil, with ambitions to one day teach drawing to other wounded warriors.

NCAG Executive Director Dr. Scott Smith received the Guy Powell Award from Midwest Partnership Economic Development, recognizing his vision and leadership in building New Century Art Guild into a resource for veteran artists in rural Iowa.

Air Force veteran Tracy Stambaugh learned to pay attention to detail in the Security Police — and brought that discipline to photography. His Americana series captures the Midwest through both color and black and white, the work of someone who says he never wants to miss an opportunity to take a great photo.

Mario Lopez lost his right arm, right eye, and most of his left hand to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. In 2011, he picked up a paintbrush with his remaining fingers — and hasn't stopped since. The 2014 NCAG Veteran Artist Grant recipient is now sharing his work and his story nationwide.