Hole in one

“Hole In One” reflects the distorted language and mentality that slowly develop inside high-risk operational environments where violence, threat and survival become normalized through repetition and exposure.

The title refers to the dark contradiction between civilian meaning and operational meaning. In one world while playing Golf, a “hole in one” represents success, precision and celebration. In another world, the phrase carries a far heavier reality where precision only matters when violence is directed away from innocent lives and toward the source of danger itself.

The bullet-like impacts across the painting symbolize the invisible distance between operators and the normal world surrounding them. Over time, words, reactions and humor begin carrying different meanings that are often misunderstood by people who never lived inside environments shaped by constant threat assessment and confrontation.

The work explores the uncomfortable gap between two realities existing at the same time, one where violence remains theoretical, and another where it becomes part of daily operational decision-making.

Created on canvas using acrylic paint applied with covers from warzone manuals and home-based books on human behavior. The bullet impacts were individually created using 9mm rounds, several of which struck me during 32 years of operations. I use real operational materials to leave something of myself behind in the canvas to give the art a soul.

Dimensions 55 X 75 cm on canvas