Photo By Tech. Sgt. Robert Barnett | Master Sgt. Fernando Buitrago has passions for art and aircraft. He has designed...... read more read more
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - The bristles were wet with paint, coating concrete with a bright blue that represented the sky; a C-17 Globemaster III crossed through the blue, below and around it were people and other symbols representing the installation mission. He spent several weekends using the brush to transfer the image from his imagination to the wall surface.
Growing up in Miami, Fla., Master Sgt. Fernando Buitrago, 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Terminal Operations Center night shift duty officer at Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, has always had two passions.
"I've been doing art for as long as I can remember," he said. "When I joined the military, I just wanted to work with airplanes; airplanes and art, they are mixing together now."
Since he uses his passion for airplanes while on duty, he expresses his interests through art by creating military symbols such as murals and designing unit coins.
The ATOC member practices several forms of art, from painting to computer illustrations to making sculptures from foam.
Among his projects, he's created a 16-foot by 80-foot mural and shadow box called "Heritage in Blue," as well as a coin for the 70th Aerial Port Squadron at Homestead Air Force Base, Fla. He has also painted a 200-foot by 40-foot mural at the 90th Space Wing deployment processing center, Francis Emroy Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.
When word got out, he was approached about some projects for TCM.
"I've done shields before and I've been doing coin design, that's where word got out that I was doing military art," he said. "Chief [Master Sgt. Carroll] Holcombe [376 Expeditionary Mission Support Group superintendent] approached me about doing the mural by Pete's Place. I don't mind drawing on walls; it's one of the few times I got permission to do it."
Painting takes a great deal of time, and he always has to do it when he is off-duty.
"This is the fourth mural that I've done," he said. "It took me about a month to do because I was doing it right after work, depending on weather and other factors. The one I did at the squadron, which is a 40-foot by 16-foot wall, took me about three months to do."
As Buitrago completed his deployment and returned home, the hope is that other artists would surface and volunteer their skills to continue painting murals on the wall.
In the meantime, the noncommissioned officer deployed out of Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., has displayed his work in galleries, had some works published and sold, and hopes to continue down that career path when he finishes his military time.
"I like to learn about everything, and I try to reflect that science in my art," he said. "I'm curious and observant about everything, and my art reflects that."
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2013 22:38 |
| Story ID: | 114880 |
| Location: | TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, KG |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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