My three paintings in the series "Pioneering Aviators of Ohio" are now on display in Roesch Library at the University of Dayton (see
https://www.udayton.edu/blogs/libraries/2017-01-25-art.php).
Here are the captions used for the pictures:
Pioneering Aviators of Ohio
The State of Ohio was home to the Wright brothers, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. This series of three paintings celebrates and connects the pioneering efforts of these Ohio pioneers of aviation and space flight.
Artist, Dr. David J. Wright is a faculty member at the University of Dayton (Department of Biology). In creating these paintings, he was “inspired by the courage and spirit of exploration demonstrated by these aviators. They lifted us from the ground, took us into orbit and to the surface of the moon. Ohio forms a backdrop in each picture and the changing horizon documents how the Wright brothers, Glenn and Armstrong gave us new perspectives of the universe.”
By carrying artifacts of the Wright brothers
Flyer I aircraft to the Moon by Neil Armstrong on
Apollo 11, the paintings document an arc connecting these famous Ohio aviators that matches the curving horizons.
Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948)
By David J. Wright (2015)
Watercolor on Arches cold press artboard, 20 x 30 in.
On loan to the University of Dayton
Although their first powered aircraft
Flyer I took to the air at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903, the Wright brothers tested subsequent designs closer to home in Dayton, Ohio. A few miles from the city at Huffman Prairie, they began testing their next aircraft,
Flyer II (1904) and
Flyer III (1905).
Flyer III is shown here, because of its significance as the first truly controllable and recoverable aircraft.
This is a view of
Flyer III in 1905, making a flight during summer or early fall, over Huffman Prairie, with Orville at the controls and Wilbur on the ground with a flag. The view is looking across the Ohio countryside towards the North. In the distance on the left, you can see the industrial city of Dayton. Radiating to the East, a railroad carries freight to Columbus, Cleveland and onward. The urban rail carrying a light passenger and freight car to nearby cities was used by the brothers to travel to and from their home and bicycle shop in Dayton. At various times during this period, the brothers would be joined by family or friends - but especially by Charles Taylor, the engineer that created the engine that powered the aircraft. This flight was witnessed by their sister Katherine (who took a great interest in the work of the brothers and did so much to support their efforts), brother Lorin (with the camera) and father Bishop Milton Wright.
Today, the restored
Flyer III is on display at Carillon Park, Dayton. Huffman Prairie is a part of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
https://goo.gl/HfkjlA
John Glenn (1921-2016)
By David J. Wright (2015)
Watercolor on Arches cold press artboard, 20 x 30 in.
On loan to the University of Dayton
John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth in his pioneering flight aboard the
Friendship 7 capsule in 1962. This view shows
Friendship 7 at the end of its last orbit, during the beginning of the re-entry into the atmosphere. Due to a concern that the heat shield was not firmly attached, the flight controllers instructed John to keep the retro rocket pack attached to the underside of the capsule. This made for what was already a risky venture into an even more dramatic mission. The retro rocket pack is shown at the bottom of the spacecraft as it began melting away because of the heat of re-entry.
America’s first astronauts, the Mercury Seven, are represented by the placement of the constellation
Ursa Major (Great Bear/Big Dipper) on the left. The placement of
Friendship 7 is fairly accurate, since the "splashdown" occurred in the Atlantic.
Today, the
Friendship 7 capsule is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
https://goo.gl/6d5m5Z
Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
By David J. Wright (2016)
Watercolor on Arches cold press artboard, 20 x 30 in.
On loan to the University of Dayton
The painting documents the critical moments just prior to the first manned landing on the moon in 1969. Neil Armstrong was the commander of the
Apollo 11 mission and the first person to step onto the lunar surface at the Sea of Tranquility. He was flying the Lunar Module,
Eagle, along with pilot Buzz Aldrin. In the Command Module,
Columbia, astronaut Mike Collins remained in lunar orbit.
The painting is based on photographs taken during the
Apollo 11 mission. The approximate placement of
Eagle,
Columbia and Earth are relatively correct - although the Earth should be higher in the sky, a different face would show of the Earth,
Columbia would be further to the right (and too distant to see), and the
Eagle would be rotated so the windows would be face down.
On the left side of the "sky" is the constellation
Cygnus (the Swan) to call out the importance birds played in helping the Wright brothers understand aerodynamic flight control. On the right is the constellation
Aquila (the Eagle).
As one of the items taken to the surface of the moon and returned to Earth, Neil carried in
Eagle, a wooden fragment and fabric strip taken from the original Wright
Flyer I aircraft. So in a way, the Wright brothers first flight continued all the way to the moon and back.
Today, an exhibit of the
Flyer I artifacts carried by
Apollo 11 is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
https://goo.gl/AzSb45
