"Further, Faster and Fight Harder" James Dietz Print

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 "Further, Faster and Fight Harder"

On September 11, 2001, the United States of America was attacked by members of the religious extremist terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda’s center of operations, training and ideology was in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, their safe haven sponsored by the rogue Taliban regime. The United States swiftly responded, deploying elite light special operations units into Afghanistan to destroy Al Qaeda, remove the Taliban from control of the country, and restore a legitimate government to the nation.

The 75th Ranger Regiment was among the first combat units to deploy inside Afghanistan with a low-level combat parachute assault conducted on Objective Rhino. The parachute assault was the first combat airborne operation by United States forces since the 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a parachute assault into Panama in 1989. Additionally, Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment conducted two additional low level parachute assaults into the western part of Afghanistan during the early phase of the war to seize key terrain and provide support to ongoing combat operations. To date, the 75th Ranger Regiment is the only light Infantry unit to be continuously engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan since October 19, 2001, and the only unit required to maintain a significant portion of its combat power in theater conducting 24-hour combat operations.

Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment have been involved in every major phase and operation conducted in the country, engaging the enemy from the mountains in Tora Bora to the low laying lands near Kandahar, and in every major city and province in Afghanistan, from the remote cities of Jalalabad and Oruzgan to the larger cities of Kabul and Khowst along the Pakistan border. In operations like Anaconda and Redwing, and battles like Musa Qala in Helmand Province, Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment have fought to protect America from her enemies, and provide a better way of life and bring freedom to the repressed people of Afghanistan.

This limited edition print is a portrait of a Ranger unit in a mountainous region of Afghanistan, being reinforced at day break with a Ranger platoon fast roping into the rugged terrain of the Afghanistan countryside. MH-47 helicopters, crewed by members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) transport the Rangers to their objective. In the portrait, are the weapon systems and special equipment a typical Ranger Platoon will deploy with to fight the Taliban, from the 60mm Mortar, M240G multipurpose machinegun, and the M4A1 Carbine Rifle to special night vision equipment and body armor. The portrait is typical of the terrain that Rangers are required to maneuver in to effectively engage and maintain pressure on the enemy.

This print is dedicated to the Rangers who severed with and supported the 75th Ranger Regiment moving "Further, Faster, and Fighting Harder" as they have been called on to do in Afghanistan, and to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice, while engaged in combat with the insurgents and terrorists who continue to spread terror and repression throughout the region.

Artist Proof (Limited to 100) - $425

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.