‘Never Forget’: Deadwood artist tributes veterans, unveils a new piece

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Many Fourth of July celebrations were taking place Thursday, but in Deadwood some were celebrating for other reasons.

Family and friends of Scott Jacobs as well as veterans and appreciators of art filled the Scott Jacobs art gallery on Main Street to be the first to see Jacob's newest piece, "Never Forget", a tribute to America's soldiers.

Jacobs began working on "Never Forget" in March with help from Niles Harris, a local Vietnam veteran. The piece includes a patch for the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard, and boots that belonged to another local veteran.

This is a new kind of painting for Jacobs, but was something he felt he needed to create.

"You know, I came up with the idea for this piece, to do a tribute painting to the military that I've never done before. It was a labor of love, I spent almost 500 hours on it. My nephew Todd worked on it [for] a long time with me as well because I travel so much. You know, you come up with these ideas as an artist and sometimes you just gotta see them through whether you have the time to do it or not. Cause I really don't have the time to spend 4 or 500 hours on a painting anymore," Jacobs said.

Jacobs added that his love for the country and his respect for veterans originally sparked the idea for the piece.

"I feel truly blessed to be able to do something like this. This is my way, in my opinion, to give back to the veterans," Jacobs said.

Jacobs is hoping to create more pieces like "Never Forget" to make a statement with his brushstrokes.