Artists Registry

This work represents my deeper personal connection to the events of September 11, 2001.

In "Remembering TomK" I sought to honor a friend who's courage in the face of catastrophe leaves me breathless and in tears.
I began painting this after being invited to submit a piece commemorating the first anniversay of 9/11. Originally I started painting an "action" pose quite different from the final result. As I worked on it I tried to visualize Tom rushing into that burning tower to rescue people and the circumstances of the collapse. I felt strongly he had died in a manner too horrific to portray. As I worked on it I was listening to Bruce Springsteen's song "The Rising" and I broke into tears thinking how these people, both those trying to escape the disaster and those coming to rescue them must have met in that final moment. What possible expression could I paint on his face? Then in an instant a calm knowing came over me that Tom and all those who perished had a painless release from life and entry into eternal peace. It was that pose that I tried to convey in this tribute.

Alexander J. Kochan
9/11/02