The Project:
For this project, my customer wanted to commemorate his dear friend’s service in the United States Air Force, and showcase his love of vintage aviation and passion for flying.
To convey his initial ideas, my client sent a group of photos that held significant meaning around his friend’s career in the Air Force and his love for piloting and aviation. One of the photos was of his friend’s personal classic aircraft that he lovingly restored called a Taylorcraft airplane, which was to be the focal point of the painting. Along with photos of the F4 airplanes that they worked on together, it was important to artfully include the insignia patch and Master Aircraft Mechanic – Crew Chief pin that represented my client’s friend’s status and occupation in the United States Air Force.
The Process:
To begin the sketch, I made a couple of cut out collages that combined all of the necessary elements into the design. My client chose the one he felt represented his ideas the best, and we worked on a pencil drawing inspired by that. With a couple more slight revisions to the overall composition, we finalized the sketch and I transferred the line drawing onto a stretched, cotton canvas covered in white gesso paint to start the artemotiv process.
I used glossy automotive paint from Alpha6 to create this painting. For a special touch, I used metallic silver paint for the Master Mechanic pin.
The Final:
I was eager to collaborate with my friend and metal fabricator Jake Maier of Maier Metalworks LLC in Spring Branch, Texas for a custom frame. He is well known in our area for automotive metal fabrication. With his skillset and talent, he also creates beadroll artwork and custom interior components all made from fabricated mixed metals and rivets. I commissioned him to design and build a custom, aviation-inspired frame for this portrait. He was gracious to share his process with us for this post:
“Everything I design starts from an idea or a vision in my mind. This vision could come from anything such as a photo, shape, or abstract design. In this case, my idea came from an existing picture frame and its shape. In my opinion, the shape of the frame needed to be elegant to compliment this specific painting.
I always start with poster board material to make a small section of the shape I’m trying to achieve. I lay out the design and physically bend all the required angles in the necessary order to ensure I can achieve the shape I want. I do this with poster board first, because if I were to make a bend on the metal brake and forget to drill, beadroll, or rivet, the metal material, it’s another added piece to the scrap pile.
After I’m certain I can achieve the shape and design I want with poster board, I then do the same thing on a small section of metal material to ensure I will get the look desired.
Next, I cut out patterns on the poster board and transfer those shapes, centerlines, bend and hole locations to a piece of flat aluminum. I follow my already proven order of operation from the steps before, and drill holes for solid aluminum rivets and punch dimple dies, and then deburr everything with a file. I use a pneumatic rivet gun and bucking bar to set each rivet, one at a time.
After the rivets are all set, I make my bends. Care must be taken with soft metals to protect the surface finish, so I used tape to prevent the metal brake from marking the exposed side of the panel. To build this frame, I used a magnetic brake from Eastwood in order to achieve the 160 degree bends for the frame.
The final, most nerve wracking part, was to cut the 45 degree corners with a miter saw. To make it a functional frame, I added the necessary brackets to the back to hold everything in place, along with a wire to hang. With solid measurements we were able to press fit the canvas painting into the opening of the frame.”
– Jake Maier, Maier Metalworks LLC
Artist Comments // Experience:
It was such a joy to paint this portrait and work with another craftsman to bring my clients ideas to life. After the artwork was completed, my client came to a unique revelation that the Taylorcraft airplane was originally a metal tube frame airplane covered in a canvas material which is similar to the canvas painting framed in metal; Just another way this unique piece paid tribute to a man’s passion for aviation history.
“Kate captured exactly what I imagined and worked with me during the entire process with great interest and excitement for the piece. Her talent and abilities with mechanical illustration, landscape, and portrait work combined to create a true organic feeling of nostalgia and emotion; One with the warmth of a hand-written letter from home when you’re in a foreign land! Her collaboration with the craftsman that made the frame was a fantastic tie into the theme and feel of artwork. This painting will be treasured by us and bring many good memories in the future. Kate was wonderful to work with!”– Sgt E.G.
Aviation Portrait Gallery
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