Houston VA Army Veteran receives Silver Medal in the National Veteran Creative Artists Competition

The competition is a national call for Veterans within the VA Healthcare system to showcase their artwork.

“I was honored and delighted to be named a Silver Medal winner this year and last year for my short screenplay submissions,” said Tartell.

Tartell, is a 1971 graduate of Cornell University who graduated from Rush Medical College and became a General Medical Officer at Fort Clayton Canal Zone where he served until his discharge in 1978.

“I relocated to Houston in 1980, after retirement as a private practice family physician, I  took up writing for the purpose of writing film screenplays, and I produced some comedy shorts, including The Window Washer ,” said Tartell.

He has received both inpatient and outpatient care at the Houston VA since 2000.

For the past five years rehabilitation therapist, Sheryl Corbit has led the initiative at the Houston VA.

 “The National Veteran Creative Artists Competition, started 43 years ago and is an opportunity for Veterans to express their feelings artistically, “said Corbit.

Originally, the competition started with music and expanded into other genres of art.

Primarily, the categories in the competition include Fine Arts such as oil paintings and mosaic kits, then there’s Group Art, Craft Kit and Special Recognition which is visual arts but is divided into two separate categories.

The annual event is hosted by a different VA facility each year and allows Veterans to exhibit their work with the hopes of earning recognition.

In “The Window Washer”, Tartell examines the life of a young married couple arguing at a French bakery, being watched by a deaf window washer who resembles Marcel Marceau.

“The short film is remarkable because of the three people who are not professional actors,” said Tartell. Heba Toulan who is deaf, and works for the state helping educate other deaf people; Ryan Swanson who is a full time petroleum engineer, and Mariel Catherine Blain who is a professional dancer with her own dance studio. “Tawanna Houston, who is a Revlon cosmetics employee with a flair for acting.”

Entrants must be Veterans enrolled in the VA Healthcare system and do not need to participate in the rehabilitation practice of recreational and art therapy. 

Winners are judged through an extensive process.

More than 6, 000 entries are accepted yearly.

In addition to a medal, the first-place winner receives a trip to Denver, Colorado.

“The competition is special because I enjoy sharing my stories with fellow Veterans, as most are comedies, I aim to give everyone a good laugh,” said Tartell. 

Lastly, Tartell hopes to one day tell his story of “Panama Fever”, his short film of being an active duty  Army medical officer in Panama, where he met his wife.

“My time in the Army were literally the best years of my life,” he said.

This year’s festival is hosted by the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Aurora, Colorado from May 11 to May 18, 2024.To learn more about the Window Washer, visit: THE WINDOW WASHER COMEDY TRAILER (youtube.com).