James Dietz
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 Print "Answering the Call"
The Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Combat Aviation Brigade was mobilized to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom from Feb. 1, 2006, through September 2007. In all, 2,800 soldiers from 44 states came together to form the brigade that became the first fully transformed National Guard combat aviation brigade to serve in the War on Terror.
The Texas units—the 36th CAB’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the 1-149th Aviation Regiment and the 449th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB)—were joined by the 1-131st Aviation Regiment (Assault) from Alabama, the 1-108th Aviation Regiment (Assault) from Kansas and the 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB). In Iraq, a battalion of fixed-wing aircraft, Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) joined the brigade.
The brigade’s pilots and flight crews flew three primary aircraft: the AH-64 series Apache attack helicopter, the UH-60 series Blackhawk helicopter and the CH-47 series Chinook helicopter. The brigade also provided MEDEVAC support with specially equipped Blackhawks outfitted with medical gear. The fixed-wing crews from OSACOM piloted C-12 Hurons, C-23 Sherpas and a UC-35 executive plane.
After pre-mobilization training at Fort Hood, Texas, the brigade arrived in Iraq in the summer of 2006. The 36th CAB was headquartered at Balad Air Base, which was part of Logistical Support Area (LSA) Anaconda, a large U.S. military installation about 68 miles north of Baghdad and northwest of the Iraqi city of Balad. While Balad became the soldiers’ home away from home, the brigade’s major duty was to provide air support for Multi-National Corps-Iraq. That meant the brigade’s pilots and flight crews conducted missions all across the country, from Baghdad to Tikrit to Mosul, Basra, Ramadi and Fallujah.
The brigade proved to be instrumental in the successful troop build-up known as "The Surge," which began in early 2007. The 36th CAB also played a vital role in the sustained effort to bring peace to the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah. During the 18 months that the brigade was mobilized, its flight crews flew 9.9 million miles in order to deliver 310,000 passengers and 22.8 million pounds of cargo. They logged 89,327 flight hours.
For their success, the soldiers of the 36th CAB received more than 4,000 individual awards and together earned the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Aviation Unit of the Year Award. The 2-135th GSAB was chosen as the Army National Guard Aviation Unit of the Year Award. OSACOM captured the LTG Ellis B. Parker Outstanding Army Aviation Unit Award.
The 36th CAB’s successes did not come without a price. Easy 40, a Blackhawk from the 1-131st Aviation Regiment, was shot down on Jan. 20, 2007. All 12 onboard the aircraft died, including four soldiers from the brigade— MAJ Michael Taylor, SGM William Warren and 1SG John Brown were from the 1-131st Regiment and CPT Sean Lyerly was from the 36th CAB Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC).
The members of the 36th CAB continue to honor the memories of their fellow comrades, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Each soldier sacrificed in his or her own way to help the brigade secure its place in history, alongside the brave men and women who came before—and those who have yet—to answer the call.
28" by 13.5" image size, 34" by 20" overall print - limited to 250 - signed by the artist - $150
This print is also available as:
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.
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