Young artist honors Dr. Perez in ‘Portraits of the Brave’ series
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| Dr. Perez of Annandale, as envisioned by Xinyi Christine Zhang. |
Xinyi Christine Zhang, a 15-year-old high school student in New Jersey, was so moved by the outpouring of love for the late Dr. Steve Perez that she added him to her Portraits of the Brave project honoring medical personnel.
Zhang didn’t know Perez but found information about him online, including the Annandale Blog story, and the many laudatory comments from former patients at the Medical Center of Annandale. Perez died from COVID-19 on May 7.
“His medical service in the U.S. Air Force, as well as for past presidents, are truly inspiring and greatly appreciated,” says Zhang, a ninth-grader at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, N.J. Perez served as a military physician to presidents Ronald Reagan and H.W. Bush.
“In addition, his selflessness and generosity in extending medical services to the poor deeply touched me,” Zhang says. “He was such a courageous worker in the face of this global crisis and has the spirit and bravery that many can only aspire to have.”
“I currently have a lot of time on my hands,” Zhang says, as she is stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, so she created the Portraits of the Brave website to showcase her digital memorial portraits of medical professionals who lost their lives during the pandemic.
Related story: Annandale loses a beloved doctor: Farewell Steve Perez
Zhang plans to major or minor in art in college. She usually focuses on acrylic paintings but created the artworks for the portrait series on digital art tablets.
Other portraits in the series honor surgeon Dr. Ronald Verrier and volunteer paramedic Paul Cary, both of New York City.
“I try to make all my portraits capture a sense of happiness and vitality and incorporate vibrant colors to express this,” she says. “Knowing that Dr. Perez once worked in the military, I used red, white, and blue to bring out certain features in his face. Splashes of purple and yellow also connote a mood of honor and joy. I hope I was able to capture the kindness of Dr. Perez in this portrait.”
Members of the public can suggest other healthcare professionals for the Portraits of the Brave project.