Artist marks shooting victims

Photo: The Canadian Press

People's shadows fall upon portraits of victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Las Vegas.

Portraits of the 58 people killed in last year's mass shooting in Las Vegas went on display Monday after artists from around the world donated their time to memorialize the victims.

"I want people to know these individuals," Mary Jo von Tillow said at the display's opening in Las Vegas. "It puts their face out there, and people get to know who the 58 were."

The Cameron Park, California, resident spoke in front of the wall of portraits that included a painting of her husband, Kurt von Tillow, shown smiling in a tuxedo with an American flag behind him.

It was a fitting tribute to her patriotic husband, one of the victims of the Oct. 1 shooting, who always wore the stars and stripes and was nicknamed "Captain America," she said.

The paintings, drawings and digital art will be displayed at a county building in Las Vegas until Oct. 19, when they are to be given to the victims' families.

The portraits come in various sizes and shapes. Some are in colour. Others are black and white. Some just show a smiling face, while others place their subject at the beach or in the woods.

That speaks to the individual personalities of the 58 people killed that night, artist and project organizer Ellen Abramo said.

Abramo and her cousin started the project after participating in a similar project commemorating the 49 victims of the 2016 mass shooting at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub.

Abramo said she hopes the portraits of those killed at the Las Vegas Strip country music festival are meaningful gifts that show the families who have lost loved ones that there are people out there who care about what they went through.

"Our hearts are with them, and we hurt for them. We wish that we could bring their loved ones back, and this is the best thing that we can do with our talents," she said.