I am pleased to be a member of the United States Coast Guard Art Program.

In February 2009,  I had the privilege of deploying with the Advanced
Swimmer School in Astoria, Oregon. Sea Air Rescue requires many
challenging disciplines. Pilots, flight mechanics and swimmers must
always be on top of their game and completely in sync. Their survival
and the survival of those being rescued demand they perform as one.

These paintings hopefully provide a glimpse into their training process.

  Suspended on climbing ropes 100 feet over the edge
  and 200 feet above the Pacific,  instructors carefully monitor
  as the swimmer is lowered in by helicopter to hook up
  the rescue dummy.

 Wave Off
  20x16 O/C
 

  The painting above did not show the scale
 of the cliff extraction training. After a successful hook up the swimmer
   signals he is ready to leave the cliff face.

  Left 10 Easy
  16x20 O/C

The surf on the Oregon Coast in winter is harsh and quite cold. Conditions are frequently miserable. It calls for sophisticated flying and totally synced communication by head set, hand signal and all eyes on the job.
 

 This painting is an artistic creation but the elements are quite real.

   Sometimes you need to get into the water immediately.
   Risky but effective.
 

  Cold Debrief
  15x30 O/Panel
 
   An ocean front parking lot in Astoria doubles as a landing
   zone and debriefing site while the experiences are fresh.

  Morro Bay 47
  15x30 O/Panel

  Part of the training included working with the 47 crews at
  Cape Disappointment, Washington. The images that made
  this painting possible were  provided to me by Marc Kurth,
  a former Coastie. I chose to add it because it provides a view
  seldom seen, unless you are the one in trouble.

These paintings are being submitted for the 2010 COGAP Collection.

As soon as a schedule is complete the locations of the traveling art exhibition will be listed here.

Thanks to Mary Ann Bader COGAP in Washington, LTCDR Mark Hiigel and ASTCS Clay Hill in Mobile.