Stan Stokes. Full
Collection of Aviation art Prints by Aviation artist Stan Stokes
Stan
Stokes is a California native with more than 37 years as a full time
professional artist, who developed a passion for vintage cars, trains and
airplanes at an early age. Model building and RC planes filled the many hours of
the young enthusiasts free time. However, unlike most other young aviation
enthusiasts Stokes also displayed a great gift for artistic talent. After
studying art in College, Stan decided to pursue a career as a professional
artist. Stokes initially focused his great talents on depicting uniquely
realistic landscapes of the western desert and mountain scenes. More than thirty
years ago a good friend suggested that Stan combine his passion for aviation
history and flying with his artistic talents, and render an aircraft or two. The
rest is history. Stan has won many prestigious awards including the
Benedictine Art Award in 1975 and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums
Golden Age of Flight award in 1985. In May of 2000, Stan was honored with the
National Museum of Naval Aviations R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval
Aviation Art. Commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi
Valley, California, Stans 12 x 120 foot mural of the History of the Flying White
House is on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion. In addition Stans
painting of the USS Ronald Reagan is hanging in the Legacy Room of the library.
In 2005 Stan also completed a painting of our nations next aircraft carrier, the
USS George H. W. Bush, which is on permanent display at the George H. W. Bush
Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Stan has also completed several
impressive murals for the Palm Springs Air Museum including: The Tuskegee Airmen
at 12 x 60 feet and contains 51 portraits of the original Tuskegee Airmen.
Dauntless at Midway at 12 x 34 feet and Corsair on Approach at 19 x 55 feet.
Stans work also hangs in the Air Force art collection, the Pentagon, San Diego
Aerospace Museum, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in
Washington DC. Stan has had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of his
boyhood aviation heroes, including the late General Jimmy Doolittle, the late
Pappy Boyington, Chuck Yeager, and many many others. A true aviation history
buff, Stan often spends more time pouring over research materials for
his paintings to assure their accuracy to the smallest detail than he
does behind the canvas. Noted for his incredible detail and strikingly realistic
illustration, Stans canvases have a life-like three-dimensional effect that
often leaves viewers spellbound. Today his work encompasses not only aviation
and space but also portraits, landscapes, ships, classic cars and his new
collection of cat-related fine art paintings. Stan particularly enjoys the tough
assignment. During his 37 years as a professional artist, he has been asked to
produce literally hundreds of paintings documenting historical events, people
and places. Although Stan has logged many hours flying his own airplanes, in
recent years pleasure flying has had to take a backseat to the artistic demands
of his backlog. Stan was commissioned to paint more than twenty original
paintings for an aviation museum being in the Philippines. Since the mid-1980s
NASA has also tapped Stans talents from time to time and he has completed more
than fifteen paintings ranging from the space shuttles to the SR 71 Blackbird.
Stan has also painted numerous works for the cutting edge genius in aviation and
space design, Burt Rutan.
