PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST 2025 REVIEW! Art can be a valuable tool to be channeled into healing. This is evident in the short documentary Sheepdogs, from director Brian Knappmiller. It follows artist Ted Meyer, who works with injured military veterans in Twentynine Palms, CA, creating paintings from their battle scars (and in one case, non-combat scars), as a way to help them deal with emotional trauma.
Meyer has been an artist for his entire life, but for the past 20 years, he has been focused on making art from scars. In 2019, he moved to Twentynine Palms, CA, for the art world there and pleasantly discovered a unique community, the military. The artist makes an impression of the soldiers’ physical scars by painting them the color of their choice and then putting them up in his gallery. He says no two people have the same scar because the emotional impact is different.
Veteran Danny Bevan got injured while drag racing on motorcycles with his friend, flying over a hundred feet headfirst. He was trying to enjoy some time off, with his wife telling him that he earned it. He explains in the beginning that wolves are the bad guys, and sheepdogs (military) are the ones who protect everyone from them.
“…makes an impression of the soldiers’ physical scars by painting them the color of their choice and then putting them up in his gallery.”
Sheepdogs then introduces us to Adam Wenc. He wanted to be a crew chief because of his dad, but found out during training that he had altered depth perception, so they moved him into communications. He was stressed out in Iraq until mortars wounded him. He couldn’t feel anything at first, but later he felt the pain. Wenc talks about still having the emotional scars long after the physical ones have healed, becoming an alcoholic due to the pain.
Diane Durden went into the Marine Corps mainly because her mom told her not to. The only time she thought about the “what ifs” was when she wrote a letter to be given to her 5-year-old son just in case she never came home. Then in 2006, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which affected how she saw herself and how other soldiers saw her.
Delissa Dawn spent 23 years in counterterrorism, witnessing some crazy stuff. She is trans now and joined the military to show her family how masculine she could be. She was shot seven times, but she realized how resilient she could be by continuing to fight to help her guys out.
Sheepdogs showcases the fantastic blending of the art and military communities in Twentynine Palms. We all carry emotional scars from life, but especially these people who have been in extreme situations and have been wounded physically. They need to let it go and enjoy life, and art is an excellent step towards that. Kudos to Brian Knappmiller for putting a spotlight on this interesting subject.
Sheepdogs screened at the 2025 Palm Springs International ShortFest.
"…fantastic..."
