Artists visit Laughlin for inspiration

  • Published
  • By 2d Lt. Angela Martin
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  For the first time in Laughlin history, the 47th Flying Training Wing hosted four artists from the Air Force Art Program Aug. 14 through 19.

The purpose of the Art Program is to document the mission of the Air Force through art. To meet this purpose, the artists became fully emerged into the wing's mission through tours and orientation flights to help inspire them to create paintings about the mission here.

According to Bryan Snuffer, Air Force artist, artists have been sent to document activities of different units around the world. Some are sent into harm's way in Afghanistan and the Far East, while others are sent to bases around the U. S.

During their visit to Laughlin, the artists used photography to document their trip.

"It's the easiest and most comprehensive way to get the research material that we'll take back and leverage into whatever compositions and paintings we ultimately produce," said Ross Parton, Air Force artist. "We've shot everything everywhere we've been, from downtown Del Rio, out to Lake Amistad and all around the base."

Each day of their visit, the artists experienced something new at the base and in the city of Del Rio to give them the ultimate experience. They began their tour by visiting Lake Amistad and the local area.

James Thornhill, Air Force artist, explained that one of the most exciting parts of the visit was seeing how deep Laughlin's relationship branches into the community.

"We got a good opportunity to see the city, just get around and eat some good food. It's been a great experience. We've had so much hospitality," he said.

According to Jack Waid, 47th FTW historian, it was vital to the artist's experience to visit Del Rio.

"This was a first for Laughlin, for us to be able to bring this many people to Laughlin and Del Rio to document. The community makes Laughlin and Laughlin makes the community. You cannot separate the two and so that's why it was important to bring them downtown as well and show how we interact," said Waid.

While the artists spent time visiting Del Rio, the bulk of their stay was spent on base. From watching the maintainers repair an engine on a T-1 Jayhawk to seeing a military working dog demonstration to visiting the pilot training classrooms, the artists touched almost every unit associated with Laughlin.

"I've been in Fairbanks at 40 below and they're out on the flight line. Here, where I'm sure the surface temperature is 120 degrees, they're out on the flight line. Then you go into the support areas that you normally don't see or the classrooms and life support, it's been an eye opener," said Jim Morris, Air Force artist.

In fact, Parton explained that seeing the support units was one of the most helpful aspects of their visit and may be an important perspective to depict in their artwork.

"To the public eye, all they really see are the airplanes in the air. That is the Air Force to them, it's what's flying around or what they see in the news," said Parton. "But what they don't get to see and what they need to see to thoroughly understand where their tax dollars go are all of the support organizations that make this mission happen on a daily basis. The airplanes may be the point of the spear but these guys are definitely the wood behind it."

In addition to visiting the various support units, each artist experienced an orientation flight in either the T-1 or T-6 Texan II.

"I had a T-6 ride with Captain Nicole Jansen and it was phenomenal. It adds a new texture and hands on experience that actually should translate into the paintings we ultimately produce. And that's the value of being involved in the program," said Parton.

But for the artists, the program also gives them the opportunity to express their patriotic duty.

"There's more of a patriotic perspective as well in terms of supporting the mission of the Air Force. And this is my way of supporting and giving back in a very, very small way for what the mission of the Air Force does for us," said Parton.

When the artists return home, they'll have up to two years to submit works of art regarding their visit to the base. The original paintings will most likely hang on the walls of the Pentagon, explained Snuffer.

Waid explained that Laughlin will get the prints and hope the prints will make their way throughout the base for everyone here to see the various parts of the mission as depicted by the artists.

"These gentlemen were able to see multiple layers of the mission. That's one of the reasons their visit was important, they're documenting what they saw in art and people are going to be able to see that and say, wow I didn't know we had that mission," said Waid.

"I feel like we are the recorders of history. We take the technology and bring it to art form into paintings that will last forever," said Thornhill.