Local artist wins international award

Local artist Mark Pestana, a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, and former US Air Force and NASA pilot, has been honored with a 2nd Place award in the ASAA 2015 International Aerospace Art Exhibition at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force gallery in Savannah, Georgia. Mark was one of thirty-two artists from around the world whose work was selected from over 100 entries. The display opened May 12 and runs through August 28.

Mark’s work, titled “Laura’s Preflight”, depicts Second Lieutenant Laura Kurtz, from Lancaster, Calif., and a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona who received a US Air Force ROTC commission. She is depicted performing a preflight inspection on a Beech T-1 Jayhawk, as the sun burns away the dawn fog at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Upon graduation from USAF pilot training, Lieutenant Kurtz was selected to pilot AC-130U Spectre gunships.

The American Society of Aviation Artists was formed in 1986 to bring together, in one professional body, artists who are acknowledged leaders in the field for the purpose of recognizing and promoting interest in aviation art as a fine art form.

Artist members are selected by a group of their peers on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and experience. Membership currently numbers over 200 artists and associate members representing all corners of the United States. Foreign affiliates are also welcomed, with members hailing from a number of countries around the globe.

Mark Pestana, a recipient of numerous awards and whose art is also part of the USAF Pentagon collection, has been an ASAA member since 1995.

The ASAA holds annual forums which cover a variety of subjects and valuable information for artists, collectors and aviation enthusiasts alike.

This year’s Forum opened its five-day program in Savannah, Georgia, on Monday, May 11. The artwork on exhibit, and information about the artists, can be viewed on the ASAA website,

http://www.asaa-avart.org.