The art of war
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Late at night, when the dreams from James Lykins’ time in Vietnam keep him awake, he sits and carves out the faces of the men he served with.
He started with a wall panel and some ceiling Spackle more than 20 years ago, and night after night, he molded the faces of more than 50 men who he knew during his tour as a Marine radioman with the Second Force Reconnaissance.
Lykins, 59, has made more than five versions of his work that he calls “Green Faces/Purple Heart,” and each piece — the size of a typical desk blotter — depicts up to 60 small faces, some wearing glasses, gas masks, helmets and the various hairstyles worn during the Vietnam era.
