Lost/Stolen Painting...The Story.

Back in 1999, just before the start of the first Freedom Rock painting, Bubba was attending college at Iowa State University and completed a painting that would ultimately be the inspiration of his "2003 Freedom Rock". However, the painting was stolen shortly after Bubba turned it in as his final project for painting class. After looking into it and finding absolutely no lead, he assumed he would never see it again.

Meanwhile, a woman who worked at a VA Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa walked into a convenient store and noticed a similar style of painting on a lottery scratch ticket display (which was The Freedom Rock scratch ticket game <http://www.ialottery.com/Games/Scratch/IN644.html> ) and discovered the artist name and style were exactly like a painting she had hanging in her office; which incidentally she found faced down in a closet at the VA. She decided to look up the artist name and contacted Bubba. As she started describing the painting, Bubba finished the description. He discovered the painting which was taken from him from over 10 years ago was finally found!

When Bubba did pick up the painting this week, one of the ladies at the VA shared with him where the painting first appeared in the arts and crafts area of the substance abuse wing of the VA hospital. No one was really for sure where the painting came from or how it got there but did mention that a veteran entered it into a contest, and won. When Bubba finally saw the painting, he noticed it was faded and scuffed, along with water damage; but for the most part the painting was as he remembered it. A limited number of canvas prints will be available of this painting. The painting will not be restored or touched up and will include the damage done to it as the artist believes it tells a story beyond the actual meaning of the painting. The first print will go to the woman at the VA hospital who is responsible for reuniting the painting with its creator.