Painting Tribute

Timothy “Tim” Colomer (Executive M.B.A. ’22) believes that everyone can benefit from constantly striving to accomplish one challenging goal.

“Whether it’s climbing a mountain or reading a book, if it’s hard for you, go out and do it. If you invest 8 minutes a day into doing something and practicing it, by the end of the year, you’ll hit 100 hours, and you’ll be better than 50% of the world at doing that thing.”

Colomer credits this lesson to his difficult recovery after being injured by a bomb explosion in 2006 while working as a United States Marine Corps bomb removal technician.

Colomer has accomplished a lot since he left the Marines. He started a family, ran a small business and completed an Executive M.B.A. program at the University of Houston during the pandemic.

The hard thing he’s currently focused on is painting. On a shopping trip with his wife a year ago, he spontaneously decided to go into Michaels, buy art supplies and pick up painting again for the first time since high school. After discovering that he enjoyed the practice, he started a new and meaningful project.

Colomer is making a painting in honor of every fallen member of the explosive ordnance disposal team. These paintings depict bomb squad technicians in their full bomb suits in different scenarios. There’s “A Sunday Afternoon in the Park with George” reimagined as “A Sunday Afternoon in a Bomb Suit.” View these paintings and more of his work at Colomer’s online gallery. His fellow bomb squad technicians who have passed away hold a special place in his heart.

“Given that the USMC maintains a small cadre of approximately 300 active-duty bomb squad technicians at any time, these individuals were more than just comrades; they were family. I had the privilege of knowing most of them personally, training some and integrating others into the program,” Colomer explains.

Colomer joined the Marines in 1993. He came home from high school one day to find a recruiter in his living room. His father, a former Chicago police officer, had invited the man over.

“My dad was like, ‘You get the hint.’”

Colomer did. He enlisted. Initially, his job was building bombs for aircraft. Six years later, he told a Marine career counselor he was itching for a more challenging career path. They suggested he pursue explosive ordnance disposal. He graduated from the training right after 9/11. This choice changed the course of his life.

Explosive ordnance training is long, expensive and rigorous. The squad recruits from all four branches of the military. Because the program lasts over a year, the soldiers form strong bonds despite their different backgrounds.

“There’s a little bit of elbows in ribs about who’s the best. A lot of machismo and bravado. But that’s how guys connect with each other. After each class at the end of the day, we’d go back to the barracks and pop a beer and talk,” Colomer remembers. He emphasizes the importance of these friendships. “You would never be able to make it through that school alone. You had to have someone have your back.”

Since leaving the Marines, Colomer has learned the importance of maintaining and nurturing friendships with fellow veterans.

“Regardless of how much time you did — four years or 30 years — it’s really important to stay connected with your veteran friends,” Colomer advises.

Colomer found that sharing his paintings provided a new opportunity to connect with veterans. A Marine he hadn’t met before reached out via Facebook and confided in him that his painting depicting rage resonated profoundly with her. She encouraged him to include women veterans in his future paintings, and they bonded over their shared understanding of how deeply military service can affect emotional and mental health.

“Now she’s off to a military retreat to seek assistance with her mental health,” Colomer shares. “My artwork was able to get that person to the next step where they saw they really needed help. That was wildly impactful for me.”

Colomer has completed 26 of his planned 50 tribute paintings. He’s working hard to achieve this goal and improve his painting skills, with no intention of stopping once he reaches this milestone.

“I’m generating a name and profile for myself with other former bomb technicians, so I am taking commissions,” he says. He knows his tribute paintings will serve an important purpose, no matter where they end up. “I’m an ambassador for a wounded veterans charity called the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Warrior Foundation. If my paintings don’t sell, I know that I’ll be able to donate them.”

Last year, he donated four items to their silent auction, and they raised $1,000 for the foundation.

Also, his paintings have already generated buzz beyond the bomb technician community. One of his paintings — and Colomer himself — will be featured in an upcoming movie, “The Beast of Trinity Texas.”

Colomer credits the Marines with instilling in him a steadfast motivation to do what he can to help others.

“Your standard veteran has this drive to serve — serve their nation or community or church or family or whatever. It’s a connection we all have in common.”

Colomer's paintings will be on display at Spring Street Studios as part of the art show titled (WAR)RIOR that features work by artists who have served in the Armed Forces or by artists who have chosen to honor or explore the experiences of service members. The show opens August 30th. Click here for more details.