User:SarahPML/James Dietz

James Dietz (aka Jim Dietz) is an award-winning painter known for his artwork specializing in military aviation. He was born in San Fransisco and attended school at the Art Center College of Design (graduating in 1969), before working out of Los Angeles and New York. A turning point in his career happened in 1978 when he moved to Seattle which put him closer to the military aviation community and closer to his goal of focusing on this type of art.

According to one art distributor, "Rather than simply illustrate aviation hardware, Jim prefers to portray human involvement" and "four of Jim's originals were put on display in the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation; one of the paintings was presented by the Navy League to then Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. A regular contributor to the Air Force Art Program, Jim's work has been featured on the cover of AIR FORCE magazine."

One of Dietz's paintings serves as the seal for the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago and he spoke about his work there on December 1, 2005, at an unveiling.

Jim Dietz continues to reside in Seattle, is married to wife Patti and has a son Ian who is a US Army member.

Awards
According to the artist's official webpage, his awards include:


 * "Best in Show, EAA Aviation Art Show, three successive years, 1989-91
 * Named Master Artist, EAA, 1992
 * People's Choice Award, American Society of Aviation Artists, 1988
 * Best in Show, Franklin Mint Artists Show, 1992
 * Best in Show & three Best of Era Awards, San Antonio Military Art Show, 1992
 * Honorable Mention, American Society of Aviation Artists Show, 1994
 * Best in Show, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001
 * Award of Merit, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1995, 2000
 * Best in Show, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1994, 2000
 * First Place, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1995
 * R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art, National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL, 1997
 * Best in Show, Women in Aviation Show, C.R. Smith Museum, Dallas, TX, 1997
 * Stanley Wanlass Award, for excellence in strength of design and composition, echoing the spirit of the automobile, Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, 1997
 * Featured Artist, Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, 1999
 * Award of Excellence, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 1999, 2000
 * Peter Helck Award, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 1999, 2000
 * League of WWI Aviation Historians, four Silver Cups"

Publications
There are two illustrated publications of his work. "Knights in Canvas" features 74 of his aviation paintings from the WWI era and "Portraits of Combat" covers 75 paintings depicting WWII battles.