My vision emerged while at basic military training, stuck between lifeless concrete walls. We were given iPads with Air Force study material, but that was the extent of the entertainment. There happened to be one section about military aircraft that had pictures. My artistic mind was deprived, so I took out my notebook and started to draw airplanes. It was there that I found a love for creating aviation art. Coincidentally, part of my Air Force job is taking pictures of fighter jets as a Public Affairs Specialist. In this role, I have used photography to capture important moments and share physical tokens of memories.

I began my art program at the University of Minnesota a few years after Basic Military Training. I showed up on the first day of my painting class knowing exactly what I wanted to paint: aircraft. I began to paint some of the pictures I’d taken of jets as well as archival photos of historical military aircraft. I’ve been challenged to try different techniques and styles that helped me develop my style by experimenting with various degrees of abstraction and photorealism using slow-drying acrylic paint.

While my current focus is painting past and modern military aircraft, I plan to expand into creating highly customized work of private aircraft. I value the passion in the aviation community and hope to use my artistic skills to intertwine the worlds of fine art and aviation.