The Most Badass Artist in American History
How a war painter inspired a new novel
by Brad Meltzer
“Where’d she come from?”
“How’d you find out about her?”
“I haven’t loved a character like that since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — tell me more about her.”
This is the true story behind one of the most popular characters I’ve ever written — and it starts with a real-life female artist from American history.
A few years back, I was getting a tour of a museum. It wasn’t just any museum — this was at a military base in Virginia, in a massive warehouse filled with crates and boxes, like that warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
As I looked around, what I noticed most were all the paintings. There was artwork everywhere, including paintings done by Adolf Hitler. But also paintings — hundreds of them — created by our troops: watercolors, oil paintings, even abstract ones done by top generals, colonels, sergeants, and privates.
All I kept thinking was, Why does the military have so much art?
And then they told me this (and this is true): Since World War I, the US Army has sent one person — an actual artist — out in the field to paint what can’t otherwise be seen.
It’s one of the greatest traditions in our military — they call them war artists. They go, they see, and they paint and catalogue victories and mistakes, from the storming of the beaches at Normandy, to the jungles in Vietnam, to those first days after 9/11. Indeed, when the Twin Towers were attacked, the artist-in-residence was the only artist let inside the security perimeter.
“Wait,” I said to my guide. “You’re telling me that for decades now, all these military troops are racing in with guns blazing — and then there’s one person who’s racing in with nothing but paintbrushes in their pockets?”
“Yup.”
“That guy sounds crazy,” I replied. “I want to meet him. I need to meet him.”
“You mean her,” they told me. “You want to meet her.”
Of course, my gender bias got the best of me. From there, I got to meet Sergeant First Class Amy Brown, who back then was America’s artist-in-residence. It’s one of the most prestigious positions in the military — and that museum was her base of operations.
When disaster struck, Amy would race in — Iraq… Afghanistan… or a terrorist attack here at home. Of course, I’m sure you’re asking yourself the same question I asked: Why do we need painters when the military already has so many different ways to record things?
It’s a fair question. As they explained, when you want to document something, sure, send photographers and videographers. But the reason we also send a painter? It’s not for documentation. It’s so we can learn.
Artists can make knapsacks and rucksacks bigger, can add sweat to worried brows. They can show a look of pain that cuts right through you — conveying horror and regret. No photo could ever capture that moment, because Amy’s work isn’t just a painting. It’s a story.
Right there, my character Nola Brown was born. An artist/soldier whose true gift is that when she paints, she sees things and details that other people miss. She sees which way your belt buckle is facing and can tell if you’re right- or left-handed. She can see the crow’s feet on only one of your eyes and that’s how she knows who the sniper is. To be clear, she can find the weakness in anything.
Most important, Nola won’t stop. She’ll never stop. She was given away as a child, like trash — and she’ll spend the rest of her life fighting back.
Best of all, in my newest thriller, The Viper, Nola takes on the most personal and dangerous case of her life — one tied to the death of her own mother. As Nola investigates, she uncovers a sinister plot that reveals her mother’s dark history, the true identity of her killer, and the shocking secret behind her death.
Don’t turn your back on The Viper. Or the artist-in-residence.
Brad Meltzer is the No. 1 bestselling author of The Viper and 13 other thrillers. He also writes nonfiction books like The JFK Conspiracy and the Ordinary People Change the World kids-book series. His books have been read by multiple US presidents, and his recent commencement address at the University of Michigan has been called “one of the best of all time.”
That is amazing. What a treasure trove is hidden in this "museum" - wish we all could see these pieces!!
This is so cool! Also my daughter’s name is Nola. 😍