2023 international Aerospace Art Exhibit

Click here to see the award winners

Since my youth, I have dreamed of designing airplanes.  This painting is of a hypothetical “quiet” supersonic transport.  I believe that in the near future, based on NASA’s X-59 research, reduced sonic boom over land travel with be a reality.  My proposal is a rather large, (to make it economically feasible), 300 passenger, double-deck Delta Airlines “WhisperJet.”

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Robert Aikins

Peacemaker  
Oil 24″ x 14″

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was the largest bomber to ever go into service with the USAF.  It was conceived during the early years of WWII when it was feared that attacks in Europe would be required from the continental USA.  The B-36 was the main nuclear deterrent in the early Cold War years.  Although it never saw combat, its deterrence helped keep the peace during those years, the B-36 earned its name, the “Peacemaker.”  In this painting, inspired by the movie “Strategic Air Command,” the B-36B carries the so-called “arctic red” test makings.

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Mariner 2 launched on August 27, 1962.  The mission proved to be the first fully successful interplanetary mission performed by any nation. Its mission was to take temperature measurements of the planet and to measure interplanetary magnetic field and/or particle measurements. The data returned indicated temperatures of 216°C (on the dark side) to 237°C (on the day side). Mariner 2 also found that there was a dense cloud layer that extended from 56 to 80 kilometers above the surface and that it had no discernible magnetic field.

BIO: Deborah Edwards Banerjee uses painting, collage, and installations to explore space, spacecraft history and landscape. She has exhibited her work at Franklin Furnace, New York, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Riverside Art Museum, Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies, The Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Lab, San Francisco, Occidental College, and the University of California at Irvine.  She has an MFA from CalArts and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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During the first wave attack, Lt. James Muri, dropped his torpedo and searched for a safe escape route. He flew directly down the length of Japanese carrier Akagi while being chased by interceptors and anti-aircraft fire.  Throughout his harrowing escape, the B-26 strafed Akagi.
BIO: Robert Brun, a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design (R.I.S.D.) worked as a commercial freelance Illustrator for 20 years before transitioning to fine art in 2000.  Specializing in historical aviation art, he works with the Collings Foundation and the American Heritage Museum.

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Looking to paint something different, I got this idea of a military aviation theme exemplifying the warrior spirit and featuring a home-grown figure from the not too distant past. So, with due respect for the Chiricahua Apache nation, here’s my fanciful take on one mean flight lead mounting up.
BIO: Paul served as an Air Force and Air National Guard pilot for 23 years. After retirement, he began painting, choosing mostly aviation subjects, and joined the ASAA in 1987.

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Chris flies his Grumman Cheetah over Lake Erie to South Bass Island of Put-In Bay where a runway welcomes aerial travelers.

BIO: Steve is a Kentucky-based artist who is a retired aircraft technician from a major airline. He restored a 1946 Piper Cub and also flies a Piper Cherokee.

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Justin Carroll

Danger – High Voltage
Oil over acrylic
18″ x 48″

An EC-130H Compass Call aircraft from the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona taxies from the Whiskey Ramp ahead of an approaching Tucson monsoon storm for a night training sortie. The EC-130H is the United States Air Force’s premiere electronic attack platform and has been based at Davis-Monthan since 1981.  Compass Call’s suite of cutting edge jamming capabilities has been brought to bear in every major contingency operation since that time.  Though in the process of being retired, the 55th Electronic Combat Group stands ready to employ this venerable airframe for the next several years.”

BIO: Justin Carroll was born at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico in 1971.  His father was a career Air Force pilot and a huge influence on my passion for aviation.  He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Arizona and was commissioned into the Air Force in 1996 and earned wings as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) serving as an AC-130U EWO and EC-130H Mission Crew Commander.  He’s been a full time artist since 2015.  He and his wife, Danielle, have two children, Mackenzie and Brayden, and they reside in Tucson, Arizona.

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The Bell X-1, piloted by Captain Chuck Yeager, was the first manned airplane to exceed the speed of sound on 14 October, 1947.  The first of the X-planes, this series of experimental rocket and jet powered airplanes designed for testing new technologies is what is often referred to as the “Golden Age of Test Flight.”

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Douglas Castleman

Lockheed
VC-121A Constellation
Oil 12” x 36”

This classic airplane served General Eisenhower during the early 1950s. This aircraft is shown with markings for the 7167th Special Air Missions Squadron, Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, 1951. This airplane is currently on display here at Pima Air Museum.”

BIO: Douglas Castleman is a painter of aviation history and landscapes. He’s an Artist Fellow of the ASAA, an artist member of The International Astronautics Artists Association, the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators and many local art groups. Many of his paintings are in private collections, NASA, and the Pentagon. Although primarily an oil painter, he also enjoys watercolor painting, and taught that for almost two decades for the Yosemite National Park Association. He enjoys teaching drawing and painting to adult students in his local city, Torrance, California.

Rear view of a T6 Texan taken at airshow.

BIO: After a forty-year career in military and international aviation, Walt Costilow retired from full time flying to concentrate on his art. He enjoys watercolor realism and aviation subjects. He uses his experiences from flying as inspiration for his realistic aviation watercolors. Walt’s aviation art has exhibited regionally and nationally in the U.S. He has also exhibited paintings with Virginia Bader Aviation Fine Art. Walt has won awards locally from the Watercolor Society of Alabama and regionally from the Southern Watercolor Society, Georgia, and the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society.  He is a Signature Member of numerous watercolor societies.

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If you are enjoying watching seaplane operations on a summer day at Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore WA, you will undoubtedly hear a pterodactyl like screech from a large Blue heron that likes to hunt around the docks. On this day, a Kenmore Air DHC-2 Mk III turbine Beaver is gently bobbing on the rolling water awaiting customer boarding. The turbo Beaver has an odd angular cockpit configuration which contrasts with the long-streamlined nose shape. Parked behind it, a Kenmore Cessna 172L also awaits its passengers, an instructor and student pilot. A more conventional appearing DHC-2 beaver, which operates for Back Country Air LLC in Wasilla AK, is landing after a post maintenance test flight. I love this place and that big cranky bird.”

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The US Army purchased three P-51D Mustangs to fly as chase aircraft for the Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne flight test program. Aircraft 44-72990 was a fairly stock P-51D with an extended canopy, while the other two were Cavalier F-51Ds (68-15795 and 68-15796) with wing tip tanks and extended Vertical tails and canopies. The #3 AH-56A (1003; 66-8828) was used to test handling qualities and to measure flight loads and engine/transmission performance. Tragically, this aircraft was lost due to a phenomenon known as “half p hop,” and test pilot David Beil was killed when the main rotor blades sliced into the canopy. This fantastic aircraft was able to achieve 245 mph in level flight, but it never saw a production contract due mostly to politics and inter-service rivalry. Mustang 44-72990 would become the last P-51 operated by the US military.”

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A Northrop/Grumman F-5E, call sign “Sniper,” climbs out after a touch-and-go at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma Arizona. The ‘Tiger II’ is flown by reserve pilots of Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 at Yuma. The squadron serves as training adversaries for active Marine squadrons. This economical little fighter, designed by a team lead by the great Edgar Schmued of P-51 and F-86 fame, has been in service for sixty years.

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A section of Marine F-35Bs is shown on a training mission in the skies over southern Arizona.  They are assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 13 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The F-35B meets the Marines’ requirement for Short Take Off/Vertical Land (STOVL) operations by the installation of a fixed, downward-directed fan behind the cockpit, driven by the main jet engine. F-35s without STOVL capability are also used by Navy and Air Force front line strike fighter squadrons.

BIO: T.J. Cronley received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1971. While there, he played drums in a touring rock & roll band. He flew A-4s and Harriers in the Marines, retiring in 1992. He went on to fly for FedEx, retiring again in 2013. He resides with his wife in Yuma, Arizona.

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1^st Lt. Ken Walsh (VMF-124) attacks a group of Zeroes harassing a flight of 5th Air Force Liberators as they retire from a raid on Kahili.  The date is 30 August 1943, and Walsh is about to shoot down the last of four planes before being damaged himself and successfully ditching off Vella Lavella in the Solomon Chain. For his extraordinary heroism in attacking superior enemy formations alone, Walsh was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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VT-84 Avenger coming aboard USS Bunker Hill, Feb. 1945.  I wanted to provide an intimate view of the last seconds before an arrested carrier landing.  Wave off into the barriers or successful Trap.  It happens fast!

BIO: Tom Duntemann has had a life-long interest in aviation, influenced by his father, John, an Army Combat Engineer in WW2 and his own experiences as a Navy Flight Surgeon on the USS John F Kennedy.  During his Navy career, he has had the privilege of visiting many of the notable battlefields in the Pacific Theater.  He is a self-taught artist and has been drawing airplanes since his teens. Watercolor is his medium of choice, and he uses his own experiences in carrier aviation to portray the atmospheric effects of flight.

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After seeing the movie Top Gun: Maverick, my granddaughter decided at that moment that she wanted to become a Naval Aviator Pilot. This painting is of my granddaughter and Navy’s first black female tactical air pilot, Navy Lt.j.g. Madeline G. Swegle. On July 31, 2020, she officially became the Navy’s first black female tactical air pilot, making a significant milestone for naval aviation.

BIO: Michael A. Goss was born in Fort Worth, Texas where he currently lives. In 1998, the Navy flew Michael from Norfolk, Virginia to the USS John F. Kennedy where he experienced his first carrier landing and takeoff. In 2012, his artwork, “Yorktown Pacific Sunset Recovery,” won Best of Show at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. In 2017 and 2022 he won the ASAA Founders’ Recognition Award at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. In 2019 he won the James V. Roy, Jr. Award for “Bessie Coleman- My Dream.”

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Sean Hampton

An Angel Takes Flight 
Oil on Linen 
36″ x 18″

Depicting U.S. Navy Blue Angel Solo Pilot #6 Lt Cdr. Andre Webb during his low-transition take-off in the 2019 show season, the final for the legacy Hornet.

BIO:  Sean Hampton is a self-taught aviation artist and ten-year USAF veteran as an HH-60G and F-16C Crew Chief with three combat tours to Iraq. Sean’s career around aviation has given him a unique opportunity to observe aircraft details which help bring realism to his artwork. He currently works with Lockheed Martin as a Senior Design Engineer and artist with the F-35 program. His commissioned original artworks can be found in government buildings and private collections around the world. Sean is an Artist Member of the ASAA.

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This painting is of B-17F-5-VE, “My Prayer.” During the Schweinfurt Raid on August 17, 1943 at an altitude of 26,000 ft., it was hit by three 20mm shells, setting off several fires inside the aircraft. The plane went down to 6,000 ft., and the crew was ordered to bail out. The top turret gunner continued to fight fires even though he was severely wounded. The pilot found out that his parachute was burnt beyond use, so the decision was made to head back to England, landing at Manston RAF base with over 500+ holes. Their prayers were answered.

This painting of the B-17 JJ-Z captures the image in William Wyler’s documentary the “Memphis Belle.” In the documentary, there is an iconic scene where a B-17 rolls over in a slow spin earthward, and you can see the crew bailing out. After researching this scene, it was determined that this was B-17F-60-BO #42-29531 JJ-Z  from the 422nd BS and 305th BG. Flak hit the #4 engine, draining all the oil, and it was a run away with no ability to feather the prop. All crew members got out except Percy C. Matthews, right waist gunner, hit by flak.

BIO: Steven Ingraham was introduced to aviation by listening to his father’s flying stories while his mother encouraged him to go into art. He went to Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo to earn his Engineering degree. While working on his degree, he took as many art classes as possible. Later he earned his private pilot’s license. After 34 years in the automotive industry, he is now retired and has dedicated himself to his aviation art. He started ASAA in 2004 and in 2022 he became an Artist Member. His main interest is in oil painting.

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I saw this beautifully restored Douglas DC-3 at an airshow in Rome, Georgia.

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Two U.S. Army AH-64D Apache helicopters of the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment depart for a morning mission.

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Rod Lees

Wakeup call; Desert Storm begins Oil/Canvas 24 x 48

Lead B-52G 58-0177, call sign “Doom 3101’, was the first of seven aircraft to depart Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, in heavy rain and darkness on the morning of 16 January 1991. A top-secret tasking, “Senior Surprise” was known by all involved as “the Secret Squirrels”. Partially loaded with limited numbers of “Then new” non-nuclear AGM-86C (conventional) Cruise missiles, the mission targeted Iranian power and communication infrastructure. With multiple aerial refueling, a few engine shutdowns due to low oil pressure, and 100 mph headwinds on return, all seven aircraft returned to Barksdale after a historic 35-hour mission.

BIO: Rod is part of an Air Force family, cementing his interest in flight: building models, sketching and painting, and flying radio-control aircraft.  His 46 years in aviation include degrees at Purdue in Aviation Maintenance Technology, 20 years as a USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer, and in retirement worked KC-135 upgrades and the B-52 Re-engine proposal, finishing as a B-52/B-1 Program Manager.   His artwork includes covers for AIR MOBILITY FORUM magazine, and five admissions to the USAF Art Program. His recent SR-71A work, “Poking the Northern Bear at 85,000 Feet,” garnered a first place in ASAA’s Science and Technology category at the exhibition in Savannah Georgia.

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The Fokker DR-1 has long been associated with the legendary Manfred von Richthofen, and a replica was constructed by Cole Palen for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome collection in New York. From photos taken by the artist at Rhinebeck, creating a painting in transparent watercolor of the backlit aircraft was a welcome challenge.

BIO: Priscilla Messner-Patterson and her husband reside in the Idaho panhandle outside Coeur d’Alene. She is an Artist Fellow member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, serving as Education Chair. She is a member of the Canadian Aviation Artists Association, Coast Guard and Air Force Art Programs, Cowgirl Artists of America, and is a certified law enforcement artist. Priscilla has received awards and honors from the American Society of Aviation Artists, Simuflite, Aviation Week & Space Technology, and the Idaho Watercolor Society. She received the 2012 ASAA Luther Y. Gore Distinguished Service Award. Her website is www.PriscillaPatterson.com.”

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Dedicated to Edward Mulrey 1935 – 2022. I often had the pleasure of accompanying my father-in-law, Ed, to the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts. This one was his favorite, due to a memorable flight back in the day.

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A Pfalz D.III of Jagdstaffel 30 heads through the cloud deck.  Inspired by the day I did the same in a 1946 Piper Cub. 

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A homage to the American pilots who trained at the 2^nd Aviation Instruction Center at Tours France in 1917 -1918. 

Mike is an Artist Fellow member of ASAA, the current Exhibition Chairman and holds the Ren Wicks Founder’s Chair.  In 1997, he was the first recipient of the ASAA’s James V Roy Award and has enjoyed a 33 year association with ASAA.

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A US Navy P-3 Orion surprises a Soviet Victor 3 Attack Submarine—a cat-and-mouse drama that played out thousands of times out of sight of most media, and usually thousands of miles away from the United States. Submarines are stealthy killers, and the P-3 was the “anti-sub,” with the ability to find, track, and kill this threat to shipping. Missions were long and methodical but could be punctuated by quick action and stark terror.

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A section of F-14s loafs along over a cloudscape.  What’s not to like about a high performance jet on a picturesque day, where you can cruise and enjoy the scenery?  Wingtip vortices and lift under the jet stir the clouds in their wake, leaving swirls that are fascinating and beautiful.

BIO: Tom is a recent retiree from the business world and can finally devote more than a few hours to his favorite endeavor, painting and aviation art.  He comes from an artistic family, including one of D.C.’s famous portrait painters, Kitti Von Kann (his aunt), and has passed this inherited talent down to his own daughters. With a Naval aviation background flying F-4s and F-14s, he has been drawn to flying machines and the skies as primary subjects and has a fondness for sea and cloudscapes.  Tom works with Acrylic on canvas, does some metal sculpting, resin, and is proficient with an airbrush.

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This AH-1G Cobra belongs to the US Army’s 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. It’s conducting routine escort duty of ground troops and equipment over highway 17, north of Pleiku.

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Darby Perrin

Up and Over the Dragon
Oil 48” x 18”

During the Battle of Midway, Ensign George Gay was the first of his squadron to take off from the USS Hornet. Gay’s unit found the Japanese carrier fleet and launched an attack without any fighter support. In a matter of minutes, Ensign Gay was the only plane left to finish the attack. As he started his approach, Gay realized his back-seat gunner was dead. Pressing on tack through heavy antiaircraft fire and attacks by as many as five Zeroes, he dropped his torpedo at a range of 800 yards and flew through the hail of bullets directly over the carrier.

BIO: Darby Perrin’s love for aviation began in 1986 when he joined the United States Air Force. Already an accomplished artist, the military fed his creativity and afforded many opportunities to paint and design. He’s been a Crew Chief and flew as an Airborne Communications Technician on AWACS. He was a KC-135 Boom Operator for 20 years.  In 2018 he was employed by the Air Force Reserve Command History Office as a full time Historian/Artist.  He retired from the Air Force in December of 2021 and still runs his gallery and studio on Tinker AFB outside of Oklahoma City.

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Within the Edwards Air Force Base restricted area, R-2508, a USAF KC-10 air refueling tanker supports various aircraft performing flight tests and aeronautics research missions. An F-22 Raptor approaches the contact position accompanied by its F-16 chase aircraft, as a NASA F-18, flown by the artist, NASA research pilot, Mark Pestana, and astronaut, Rick Searfoss, awaits its turn.

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A NASA F-18B, starting from an altitude of 52,000 ft. at Mach 1.2, after rolling inverted, pulls into a dive and aims its shock waves at a location on Edwards AFB, California, a home instrumented with microphones and pressure sensors. A series of research flights, piloted by the artist, former NASA research pilot Mark Pestana, has characterized the formation and dispersion of supersonic shock waves which generate sonic booms. The data have revealed how the impact of the booms can be controlled and minimized, a goal for future designs of transcontinental supersonic transports that will not disturb the public.

BIO: Mark Pestana, Colonel, USAF (ret), is an aerospace consultant and adjunct faculty at University of Southern California’s Aviation Safety and Security Program. He’s flown over 5000 hours in over 30 aircraft types, from heavy transport to supersonic jet. As a USAF Cold War reconnaissance pilot, Mark logged 213 combat intelligence sorties. He has served both the USAF and NASA as a research pilot and a space operations engineer in NASA’s Astronaut Office. Mark is an ASAA Artist Fellow with 14 paintings in the Pentagon collection and has the unique distinction of designing nine Space Shuttle mission patches for the astronauts.

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This amazing Phantom, with its deafening roar, is captured in action,  taking off from the #1 catapult on the USS Forrestal in the Atlantic.

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The crew prepares for another busy day. It’s such a common sight in Canada’s North Country in the summer months as many tourists take advantage of the pristine waters and plentiful fish.

BIO: Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS, PSOA, AWA, AAOA. “To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer . . . That is the ultimate in self-expression.” Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years, she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, four dogs and two cats. By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal, and ink over the years, until she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color, and gouache. Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 310 International exhibits as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won numerous awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 33 magazines, including The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, the cover of the May 2022 Arabella Magazine, and the latest being the covers of #20 Hyperrealism Magazine with Girls, Girls, Girls, and #21 with The Young Cowboy. She has been featured in over 211 International publications. Cher’s works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.

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That moment has come above the clouds to trust your GPS to find that spot to commit to the mission.

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Marine Corps F-35B landing aboard ship.

BIO: Stephen is a native Virginian who works in finance and accounting and is a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  In 1996, Stephen commissioned in the Marine Corps and flew CH-46E helicopters. After leaving the Marine Corps in 2005, he began focusing his efforts on developing his art. Stephen became a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, where he eventually obtained the title of Artist Fellow.  Stephen enjoys painting landscapes and seascapes in addition to aviation art. He is also a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, and contributing member of the Coast Guard Art Program.

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The artwork depicts an iconic moment in time with Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden walking along the gantry and taking one last look across the shoreline before boarding, reflecting on nature’s beauty.”

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NASA’s camera froze after snapping only one photo of Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden’s during his Extravehicular Activity (EVA), unfortunately, from his backside.  Imagine a spacewalk with no famous cameo shot like all the other astronauts.  Not until the creation of artwork, “The EVA of Astronaut Al Worden,” has this event been honored as it depicts Al Worden’s historic spacewalk. He later became the first person in the Guinness Book of World Records to be recognized for his achievement as the “First Spacewalk in Deep Space.” He held the record of floating in space farthest from Earth than any other human, as well as between the sun and the moon.
BIO MICHELLE ROUCH, Engineer & Aerospace Artist
Associate Fellow with American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Professional Artist with American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA) and with International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA)
Owner of Artwork by Rouch (Rouch.com)
Illustrator of Award-Winning Children’s Book ‘Astronaut Al Travels to the Moon,’ authored by Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden, earning 2021 Mom’s Choice Awards and won Purple Dragonfly Children’s Book Award -Best Historical Non-Fiction Children’s Book for 2021.

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On 5 August 1964, Lt (j.g.) Everett Alvarez, Jr., call sign, War Paint 411, was wingman to the leader of ten A-4C Skyhawks of VA-144, the “Roadrunners,” off the USS Constellation (CV-64). Their mission was to attack torpedo boats docked in the North Vietnamese port city of Hon Gai on the first day of the war in Vietnam. Following his second attack run, he was forced to eject when his jet was struck by an explosion and became uncontrollable. He was rescued from the water by fishermen and ultimately held at the Hanoi Hilton, being regularly and brutally tortured until his repatriation 12 February 1973. He was the first American aviator taken prisoner and the second-longest-held American POW during the war. His incredible success story is masterfully told in his book “Chained Eagle.”  Viewing Everett’s back, he is depicted in his uniform for 8 ½ years—his POW striped pajamas.

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Artemis, the largest most powerful rocket built to date.

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Matthew Smolin

Short Final
Oil “48””x30″

KLM Boeing 747-400 on short final to Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten.

BIO: Matthew Smolin is a self-taught artist working primarily in pastels and oils.  A lifelong aviation enthusiast and multi-engine instrument rated pilot, Smolin draws on his interest in history and extensive travels for inspiration.  A retired Colonel in the US Army, Smolin is a practicing Interventional cardiologist.

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At age 28, Marine Captain Katie Cook became the first female Blue Angels pilot, flying the massive C-130 Hercules in a 2015 Blue Angels California show. Two years earlier, she piloted a KC-130 in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, firing two Hellfire missiles which eliminated a Taliban position, saving the lives of many Marines. She deployed to Africa with Special Marine Task Force Crisis-Response and flew nearly 400 combat hours in seven countries. She believes, “It’s not the easy times in your life that make you who you are. It’s the difficult times that shape you as a person and a leader.

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Bernard A. Harris Jr. became the first African American to perform an EVA when he and fellow astronaut Michael Foale ventured out from the Discovery shuttle’s airlock to perform their extra-vehicular mission like a well-choreographed dance in space. A mission of firsts, the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-63 mission was also the first shuttle to rendezvous with the Russian Mir station in February of 1995. After traveling 7.2 million miles on two space shuttle missions, NASA flight surgeon Dr. Bernard Harris affirmed, “We are infinite beings with infinite possibilities. “

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North East Scotland, 1974: An 8 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Avro Shackleton AEW Mk. 2, WL747 (Florence), bursts a tire on landing, requiring an impromptu wheel change by the skeleton night shift crew. And the weather is miserable.
BIO: Harry comes from a family of aviators and started his working life with 12 years in the Royal Air Force as a ground engineer.  He worked on a variety of transport, fighter, and training aircraft before leaving the R.A.F. and having to work for a living. A relative newcomer to art, he is currently on a quest to exert some control over paint in its fluid state. He is an airline pilot for a major U.S. airline where he is an international widebody Captain on the Airbus A-330. His career in the sky reflects his art and his passion for aviation art.

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