Home
Entries
Prizes
Rules
Register
Log in
< Return to all entries
Safe Return
Outside Voting Period
Share
Facebook
Twitter
40 votes
Your Entry Title
Safe Return
Your Name
Scott DeHaven
Medium
Oil
Your Profile
All my life, I have been exposed to beautiful art and engineering. My dad was a pilot turned engineer and my mom made a point to decorate our home with the incredible works of John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. She also made visiting the National Art Gallery compulsory duty. As a kid, I drew like crazy - it was fertile time to sketch all the great accomplishments of NASA and Military Aviation. At some point, my dad said I had to learn to feed myself, so I went to engineering school at the University Maryland and 35 years later retired from the Office of Naval Research. Roughly six years ago, I was tutored in the science of oil painting. For me, it is an escape to my childhood with that twist of adult wisdom. Most of my subject matter is of a vintage nature – old planes, Hall of Fame baseball players, musicians, and the occasional old car or truck. Oil painting is the connective tissue with my family and friends. Memberships Art Attack LLC, Fredericksburg, VA LibertyTown Art Workshop Continuing Education, Fredericksburg, VA Art Shows and Displays 2014: Kybecca Restaurant, Fredericksburg VA 2015: LibertyTown Art Workshop, Fredericksburg, VA 2015, 2017, 2018: Sunken Well Tavern, Fredericksburg, VA Supporting Causes and Art Donations Virginia German Shepherd Rescue Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Animal Shelter
The Story Behind My America
The inspiration for “Safe Return” is my Dad. A World War II veteran, who flew and designed airplanes, Dad will school anyone on the various fighters and bombers that help win the wars in Europe and the Pacific. Growing up I learned to about the ingenuity and toughness of American built aircraft, such as the B-26 Marauder depicted in this painting. All 5,288 B-26’s were built in Baltimore, Maryland by the Glenn L. Martin Company at the Middle River Plant. The featured aircraft ”Flak Bait”, flew in 202 combat missions during WWII, the most of any American built plane - a true testament to American engineering and manufacturing. Of course, the only thing tougher than the planes, were the brave American aircrews. “Safe Return” depicts the proud “Flak Bait” aircrew upon their return from a bombing run on D-Day of the Normandy Invasion. So My America is about skill and toughness. It’s about our countries ability and resolve to come together to solve world problems. It’s about the brave American people who risk their lives for their fellow man. Thanks Dad, for the inspiration!
Contest Category