My boss’s son speaks I-don’t-know-how-many languages and is very much a world citizen, at home anywhere in Europe or the US, but is still very much an American kid. He also loves to draw, and one day left this lying around the office, much to the… consternation of his father, a naturalized US citizen with a decidedly European point of view:
It was glorious, even in draft form – note how the slide has “LIBERTY” engraved on it.
I offered him ca$h money if he finished it and gave me a print of it, but nothing came of it, and he moved on to new ideas.
But Christmas was coming, and our office was sorely in need of some ‘Murica!ng-up. So, I sent the above to ArtCorgi with the following description which, upon reading, I realized was a description of ‘Murica itself:
This is an unfinished sketch that my boss’s son left at the office one day – I thought it would be fun to get it professionally finished as a gift for them. So – the bald eagle is looking fierce, wearing body armor, like a plate carrier. Above that, on the shoulders, are football pads, maybe with a Dallas Cowboys star on them. (KABAR in sheath strapped to the right upper arm / shoulder.) He’s wearing the American flag like a legionnaire’s cloak, obviously. In his right hand (bald eagle head, human arms) is an M1911 in condition 0 with a drum magazine and ‘LIBERTY’ written on the slide, a little wisp of smoke coming from the muzzle. Both forearms have boxing-style wrappings around them, only you can’t see the left hand because it’s holding Captain America’s shield. A triangular formation of fighter jets shoots straight up in the background, leaving white contrails against a bright blue sky.
After a couple of weeks, I received this glorious work of digital art:
Of course, much like the ontological arguments put forth by Anselm of Canterbury in his Proslogion, something this perfect must exist in reality.
So I pulled a Riker and made it so.
The kid loved it.
I won office Christmas.
Here it is in our conference room:
Don Norum 