Photo By Joseph Siemandel | UH-60 Blackhawk drawing by Sgt. 1st Class Adolph Pinlac. (Courtesy Photo)... read more read more
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As a kid, SFC Adolph Pinlac had a passion for drawing and doodling airplanes. His childhood activity eventually led him to join the military as an aircraft mechanic.
“When they said the Army would pay me to do it, I was like sign me up,” said Pinlac, an aircraft structural repairman with 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation.
After six years on active duty, Pinlac decided to try his hand in the National Guard and has been here ever since.
“In 2000, I had a friend that was in the Washington Army National Guard and he said I should come try it. I figured, well I need to fulfill two more years and so I decided why not,” said Pinlac. “I liked it so much a year later I took a full-time job at the hanger.”
While Pinlac is incredibly proud of his nearly 30 years of military service and everything he did for his state and nation, it is what was given back to him that he is continuing to find passion in: his artwork.
“My love of drawing goes back to high school. The school I was going to in New York was really known for their art and painting,” said Pinlac. “It wasn’t until Chief Warrant Officer Five (Retired) Jeffrey Burkhart asked me to make a drawing, he had seen my sketch book and he asked me to make a cobra for him.”
That one request unlocked that passion in Pinlac again and kicked-off a nearly 20-year side career, creating original artwork for his fellow service members.
“I like to make them personalized for the individual I am creating it for,” said Pinlac.
His drawings aren’t just of military aircraft or vehicles, but set a scene that showcase who the recipient is and something about them. All hand drawn, Pinlac will spend hours customizing the drawings, sketching, coloring and editing to ensure they are near perfect.
“I think that each drawing tells a story,” said Pinlac.
His work isn’t just on paper. He has been creating custom art with scrap metal, wood and old retired military equipment. He even fabricates custom parts, like the custom helicopter rotor blade he designed and painted for Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Rikstad’s retirement gift.
“That one was big, the miniature CH-47 main rotor blade. One side was a flag and flip side was his history with the Washington Army National Guard aviation,” said Pinlac. “It was a fun piece to do.”
Since that first drawing, Pinlac has finished and gifted hundreds of pieces, all unique and one of a kind. He gives a lot of credit for unlocking his artistic talent to Burkhart and for reminding him what he loved about drawing.
“If he hadn’t asked me to do that first drawing for him, I think I would have continued to go about my day, continued to doodle but wouldn’t have thought they could be anything more than in my sketch book. He was the one that really encouraged me to continue to do it,” said Pinlac.
As he prepares to retire from the military, Pinlac says he will focus more on refining his craft, experiment with different styles and work to get better as an overall artist.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2023 12:56 |
| Story ID: | 448079 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Art of Fly: Guard member shares passion for aviation and art with his fellow service members, by Joseph Siemandel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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