Artist recaptures history Published Nov. 8, 2013 By Senior Airman Madelyn Brown 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORE BASE, Calif. -- Since early childhood, Stu Shepherd has spent hours upon hours of his daily life encompassed by aircraft, though he doesn't know how to fly or mechanically work on them. The San Jose native began building model aircraft as a child and in high school began painting them. Since then he has painted more than 250 aircraft, including most American aircraft since the 1950s. His career came full circle when Shepherd became the artist that painted the aircraft on the box of the model aircraft that he once adored as a child. "It's cool to know that when kids open up a toy model aircraft box they're looking at my painting for reference," Shepherd said. "Just to know I'm part of the inspirational process kids may develop for aircraft keeps me creating." Currently, Shepherd is working on multiple aircraft depictions in order to capture Travis' history. Three of his works, the B-29 Superfortress, F-86 Sabre and F-102 Delta Dagger are displayed in the hallway and lobby of wing headquarters, while the C-133 Cargomaster and C-124 Globemaster II are displayed in the conference room. Terry Juran, Travis Heritage Center director, and Mark Wilderman, 60th Air Mobility Wing historian, were the two people responsible for linking Shepherd with the base. They believe that bringing Travis history to Airmen is imperative. "It's so important for us to teach new Airmen about therich history of Travis, and make it as accessible as possible," Juran said. "They are the next chapter, and if we can provide them with the chapters that came before them, that's what will instill a sense of pride. That's how they learn to appreciate what has been done before them and what they are doing now." Part of Juran and Wilderman's vision is recreating the wing headquarters hallway to display all the aircraft that have ever been a part of Travis history, such as the YC-97 Stratofreighters, which only three were made, that participated in the Berlin Airlift and the KC-135 Stratotankers that flew out of Travis in the Vietnam War. In order to make this vision a reality, Juran and Wilderman have relied on Shepherd to paint an accurate picture of reality. "Shepherd can honestly recapture the history of Travis," Juran said. "The realism in his artwork is down to the smallest marking on any aircraft, and he even creates an aerial view backdrop of how the landscape around Travis looked during the time period." One example of the degree of accuracy reflected in Shepherd's work is the painting of the B-29 Superfortress, which was piloted by Brig. Gen. Robert Travis and became Travis' namesake when it crashed n Aug. 5, 1950, Juran said. The painting is featured in the lobby of wing headquarters, along with a picture of Brig. Gen. Robert Travis. The original painting of the B-29 was by all means technically correct, but a survivor of the crash was able to point out that this particular B-29 did not have a black painted underside as depicted in the painting. Rather, it was an all-silver B-29. Shepherd was able to retrieve the painting and adjust it in order to make it historically correct. For Shepherd to produce art with such accuracy, he invests time researching the aircraft and learning their exact dimensions as well as distinctive marks. To ensure his prints reflect an accurate perspective from any angle, he builds a model of the aircraft for his reference. "I've spent up to a hundred hours on an aircraft to get all of the details accurate," Shepherd said. "Photoshop is a new tool that previously didn't exist. Now I can zoom and painstakingly create every detail that was present on that aircraft in its time." Currently, there are three projects Shepherd has in the works for Travis. These can be expected to be displayed in wing headquarters and the Heritage Center. "I'm passionate about depicting someone else's world as it really was," Shepherd said. "I'm always thankful for the work men and women do to keep our freedoms protected. It's an honor that my artwork is displayed in your halls." For more information on upcoming displays, call the Heritage Center at 424-8180.