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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. |
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Hook Up
20x16 O/C 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Quick Entry
16x20 O/C Sometimes you need to
get into the water immediately.
Risky but effective.
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
