Art Is Helping San Diego Veterans Returning From War

Two Marine Corps veterans who work with Combat Arts San Diego created a piece for the Timken Museum of Art. The piece, a large clock with moving parts, was built by Daniel Lopez and Christopher Tomlin, both Marine Corps veterans. The clock was commissioned for the Timken's gala on Saturday, which is raising money for the museum's outreach programs. One of those programs teaches art to veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lopez helps teach art to fellow veterans as part of the program through Combat Arts San Diego. He said creating art gives him and other veterans another way to transition back to civilian life. "You’ve got something on your mind, put it on a canvas," he said. "You want to distract yourself from something, build something." As part of our ongoing First Person series, we speak to Daniel Lopez about the piece, art and his experience teaching art to fellow veterans.