PARKERSBURG - A photograph by a Parkersburg woman has been selected for the cover of a publication by the Veterans Administration.
Bridget Craig, of Plum Street, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1977 to 1981, photographed the claret cup cactus several years ago and submitted it for competition in the National Creative Arts Festival held each year by the Veterans Administration to highlight the artistic talents of disabled veterans.
"It is a beautiful cactus," Craig said. "It's such a vivid, vivid red."
Article Photos
Photo by Jeff Baughan
Bridget Craig, of Plum Street, poses at her home.
The Journal of Rehabilitation, Research and Development chose the photograph and four others from among the thousands of entries in various media and will use it in two publications of the journal as a cover, said Ken Frager, a public affairs specialist for the journal in Baltimore.
"Clearly she's a talented artist," he said.
The festival will be held from Oct. 11-15 in Boston. Craig entered and placed in the regional competition leading to the national festival.
Her expenses will be entirely covered through the Hero Miles program of the Fisher House Foundation, which provides the family of wounded soldiers housing while visiting at the hospital, Frager said. Hero Miles is coordinated by the foundation through the Department of Defense where passengers donate frequent flyer miles to servicemen and their families.
Craig enters contests as a professional photographer. Her work has been used in numerous publications and calendars in the Western United States and has been displayed and sold in galleries and boutiques. She photographed the cactus near Grand Junction, Colo.
"It was one of my better photographs," she said.
Craig, the former Bridget Desmond, graduated from Parkersburg High School in 1973. Her service in the Navy took her to the west where she remained for 35 years until returning to Parkersburg in December. Her disability is post traumatic stress syndrome, she said.
Photography is her way to cope.
"When I get agitated or stressed, it gets my mind off it," Craig said.
