Light Painting Liberty N104AZ
Recently, Jonnaie and I traveled to Arizona to light-paint one of the most unusual (and beautiful) aircraft that you’ll ever see, a custom-built Van’s Aircraft RV-10, named Liberty N104AZ.
Here you can see what the camera saw before we started to light-paint the Starboard side of Liberty.
We met the plane’s owner, Rodney, at Oshkosh. It was there that he commissioned us to light-paint Liberty N104AZ near Sedona, Arizona. We were pretty excited, especially after we saw what the aircraft looked like!
This aircraft is literally a flying work of art, paying tribute to our United States Armed Forces! John Stahr, of Artistic Aviation, custom-painted the entire exterior with military tributes honoring all branches of the U.S. military: the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. What an amazing piece of flying art!
Here is our base image of the Starboard side of Liberty. Once it got dark out, we got to work.
Sedona, Arizona
Initially, we were going to light-paint Liberty N104AZ at the airport in Sedona, Arizona. However, Rodney encountered a hitch a couple of days before our arrival, so the location changed to his cabin, a few hours away from Sedona. While Sedona would have been nice, the new location, at the cabin, is certainly far more personal. We like that!
With the amount of art on this aircraft, we decided to create more than one light painting that night (and we still didn’t get everything)! This story will be all about the Starboard side of the Van’s RV-10. The Port side and a version that showcases the artwork on the top of the wings will be coming in the weeks ahead. Please be sure to check back!
Light Painting the Starboard Side of Liberty N104AZ
We’ve got close-ups of the various artworks on the Starboard side of Liberty, from left to right:
Featured on the tail is a bald eagle soaring over the mountains.
A bald eagle soaring over mountains is featured on the Starboard tail of Liberty.
Next is a Coast Guard Tribute that features images of a Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin. Then there’s the USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), a 295-foot three-masted barque. It is the flagship and active sail-training ship of the US Coast Guard Academy. There’s also a portrait of LCDR Dale Taylor honoring the memory of CG-6535.
A hand-painted tribute to the United States Coast Guard.
A portrait of Marine Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller is next. He served in the United States Marine Corps for 37 years, rising from private to lieutenant general from 1918 to 1955! He’s also the most decorated Marine in US history! Right next to the general is the Raising of the American Flag at Iwo Jima.
A hand-painted tribute to LT. GEN. Chesty Puller and the Raising of the American Flag at Iwo Jima.
Towards the front of the Liberty is a Marine with his sword, a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter, and a Harrier Jump Jet.
A hand-painted tribute to the United States Marines. The image of a U.S. Marine with a sword, as well as a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter and a Harrier Jump Jet are featured.
Attention to Detail
The entire lower portion of Liberty N104AZ features the Stars and Stripes! That’s just the Starboard side! The cowling features a beautiful tribute to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and on the top of the aircraft is a missing man formation as well. The entire plane is so very impressive!
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is featured in Liberty’s cowling. Amazing!
The Port side is equally impressive! We’ll be sharing that one (and a third version showcasing the art on top of the wings) with you once each of those is completedn the next few weeks.
Liberty N104AZ – The Movie
Here’s the first version of Liberty’s Starboard side light painting.
Here’s the second version, with the cabin and trees light-painted.
We invite you to pay a visit to our dedicated Light Painting Website (which is currently being totally redesigned – but is up and running). Please check it out at: www.MichaelAndersonLightPainting.com
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read about the Liberty N104AZ. – M&J