"On Patrol" - James Dietz - Military Art

The growing popularity of aviation art has brought before the public eye the works of a number of professional aviation artists. Among these one artist stands out for his unique approach to this genre. "The people, settings, and costumes are what make aviation history exciting and romantic to me." It is this feeling that makes James Dietz, and his artwork, so different from that of his contemporaries. Rather than simply illustrate aviation hardware, Dietz prefers to portray human involvement.

After graduation from Art Center College of Design in 1969, Jim began a successful career as a commercial illustrator in Los Angeles. The subject matter varied from automobiles to action scenes to romantic book covers. A steady flow of work from New York enabled the Dietz' to move to Seattle in 1978. It was at this time that he took his first concrete steps toward fulfilling his dream to specialize in aviation art, at that time an almost unheard of genre. Since then, aviation art has played an increasingly large part in his career. Jim Dietz's clients include Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Allison, and Flying Tigers, to name just a few.

Jim has also branched out into the fine arts field with his aviation art. A strong following has developed for his originals and a growing number of limited edition prints have introduced Jim's name to print collectors worldwide. Four of Jim's originals were put on display in the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation; one of the paintings was presented by the Navy League to then Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. A regular contributor to the Air Force Art Program, Jim's work has been featured on the cover of AIR FORCE magazine.

Jim Dietz has been honored with several gold medals from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators and has won Best in Show in three successive years in the EAA Aviation Art Show. In 1988, at the second American Society of Aviation Artists forum, Jim was awarded the "People's Choice Award" for his painting selected by forum attendees. Major showings of Dietz's originals have recently been held at the EAA Museum and the San Diego Air Museum. His work is found in a number of private and corporate collections.

James Dietz Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Artist Proof "On Patrol"

On Patrol is dedicated to the members of Task Force Normandy, which adapted to tough conditions and defeated a determined enemy, resulting in a safer and more secure operational area and the strengthening of the government of Afghanistan.

On March 1st, 2004, members of the 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry began reporting to armories around the Commonwealth of Virginia to begin their transition from citizen – to full time soldier. The battalion was mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed to Afghanistan. After training at Fort Bragg and a rotation at Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center, the 3rd Battalion was ready to add its own chapter to the historic lineage of the 29th Infantry Division.

The battalion began arriving at Bagram Air Field (BAF), Afghanistan on 15 July 2004 and was quickly engaged in operations. The battalion’s first mission was to provide force protection and a quick reaction force at BAF. The other assumed a more traditional infantry role where the battalion was assigned an area of responsibility to capture, kill or suppress the activities of any anti-coalition organizations. In recognition of the 116th Regiment’s history, the newly formed Task Force assumed the name of the beaches the regiment stormed more than 60 years prior - Normandy.

At Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ghazni, TF Normandy found themselves jumping right into operations and occupying the Spartan conditions at FOB Ghazni. Very limited hot water, latrines, and living space made the transition challenging, but the robust operational tempo and the need to learn quickly kept the soldiers too busy to focus on the lack of amenities. Moreover, the battalion quickly shifted from its traditional light infantry role to that of a medium motorized battalion, receiving a large compliment of up-armored vehicles which played a pivotal role in TF Normandy’s ability to maneuver throughout the 30,000 square kilometers area for which it was responsible. On Patrol depicts a typical patrol conducted by members of TF Normandy throughout the Ghazni and Wardak provinces.

At BAF, TF Normandy provided security for over six thousand service members and civilians. It manned 20 towers and conducted security patrols for the bases 6.5 mile perimeter. Shortages of personnel forced Soldiers to endure 12-hour shifts with an average of less than one day off per month. The battalion conducted security and civil engagement patrols in the 10K ring around Bagram that discovered numerous caches and deterred rocket attacks. The 3-116 Infantry provided theater Quick Reaction Force to CJTF-76. This air-mobile force maintained the highest level of readiness and was able to respond to threats on extremely short notice. Missions accomplished included security of IED sites, security of downed-aircraft, and responses to threats in vicinity of Bagram. The QRF also provided security for the President of Afghanistan and for First Lady Laura Bush.

Much hard work went into planning and coordinating for the October elections. Many agencies and units were involved, including United Nations, NATO, and other coalition forces and civilian organizations. The scope of TF Normandy’s involvement included conducting pre-election day site security surveys, providing security throughout the elections, and escorting several jingle trucks carrying ballots from the remote elections sites to a regional counting facility. The battalion’s operations were necessarily immense, but the soldiers responded with the “Let’s Go” attitude that had come to exemplify their operations in theater, and, despite determined attempts by anti-coalition organizations to disrupt, the elections were a resounding success.

In over twenty company and battalion level operations TF Normandy captured over 70 anti-government operatives. The battalion secured over a hundred caches with over 22,000 mortar rounds, 3,500 hundred rockets, 6,000 recoilless rifle rounds, 230 anti-tank mines, 700 anti-personnel mines, and 8,000 RPG rounds. In addition, the TF also executed over 130 civil assistance projects worth over $1,000,000.

This 15" by 24.875" image size print, 21" by 31.375" overall, is signed by the artist and is now ONLY available in the following format:

Artist Proof (limited to 100) - $200

All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.

An Artist’s Proof (AP), generally, is the first 5% - 10% of the Limited Edition prints that come off the press. This status is noted on the print. Collectors prefer APs because their value increases even more than a Limited Edition as time goes by.

All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.