Artwork By Don Ricci

"I truly believe in doing nose art with honor to the nostalgia of this great aviation tradition. I truly feel with every brush stroke I am following in the footsteps of those crews in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm who took the time to personalize the aircraft. I love seeing the look on the face of the owner of the aircraft when they see the piece for the first time. All the hours of prep, study and research, coupled with the effort and time I put into 'their baby' makes it all worth while. When I am out on the flightline or in the hangar working on the aircraft there is a connection that I seem to form with the aircraft. When the painting is done and I watch the aircraft fly off, it's bitter sweet. I am proud as hell seeing another piece of my art fly, but on the same token, I am going to miss being with the aircraft. It's almost like it's one of my kids. That's how much heart I put into my work....