It was a wonderful feeling in my heart when I completed and signed my original painting at noon on November 2, 1998. (By tradition I rarely sign my paintings until they are completed) I titled the painting "GOLDEN RULES." The previous Friday I had brought the mural size original work to the library wearing my "Halloween Costume." I had a blast as I wore a flight suit given to me as a gift by a general officer that lived next door to me in the early 1980s. I also wore a replica of the WW II A-2 leather jacket sporting two stars.

Cadets loved it when they heard I "applied" for a job in the Commandant's office. General Lorenz was in the middle of his 25 year reunion when I found him. He is such a great "politician" and complimented my attire! Therefore I decided not to "pull rank" on him and do a little "training" about his doolie thru one star knowledge. This was the perfect way to set my mood to complete the final details of the painting over the weekend

I decided to put the jacket on at the moment I signed the painting and my wife took a picture. I have a vivid imagination. When I looked over my shoulder and saw those two stars I wondered where my life would have been if I had attended the Academy rather than Northrop Institute of Technology. I would have graduated with the Class of 1969. I would have been an outstanding cadet and officer. Two stars seemed appropriate for that dream of wonder.

During this past week we completed the final photo proofs of my original painting. I have logged time on my paintings since I was a teenager. Total time spent in my studio creating "GOLDEN RULES" was 2,159 hours. The lithographs will be published before Thanksgiving. There will only be 999 official class prints signed and numbered plus an artist proof series of 99 editions. Based on 20 years experience from previous class prints the edition will be 90 percent sold out before graduation. Whenever we reach this figure all remaining prints will be priced at the list price of $200.00.

CLASS STORIES:

Cadets have shared a number of interesting stories over the past year and contributed several to this page. The class of 1999 truly shines golden. We have laughed at spirit missions, and seen the Falcon football team capture the Commander in Chief Trophy. All of the feedback the class shared with me became inspiration to honor them to the highest level possible through my talent.

One of my pilot heroes from my teenage years was the late Ed Mack Miller. Ed was a United Airline training Captain and took me under his broad wings when I was 15 years old. At that time I was working as a line boy at Jeffco Airport in Broomfield. Over the next 6 years he gave me free flying lessons and arranged simulator time in the DC-6, DC-8 and Boeing 720 at the United training center (DENTK) in Denver. When he wasn't flying he loved to write about it. He authored over 1800 articles and short stories for major magazines and aviation publications. In addition he wrote six books about aviation history including "Wild Blue U" published in 1972.

Ed was instrumental in helping me choose a career path when it was established I would not be medically qualified to attend the Air Force Academy. He recommended I go with an airline career and suggested several colleges where I could get a similar education as offered at USAFA. I chose to attend Northrop Institute of Technology and studied Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. As part of the studies I obtained my FAA ratings as an airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic. I was only 21 years old when I was hired by United; the youngest flight line mechanic at Los Angeles International Airport.

Two years later I was accepted as a flight officer candidate and obtained unlimited additional crew member (ACM) authority to ride jump seat on scheduled United flights. I deferred attending the class offered at DENTK to complete my Bachelor's degree at Northrop. Unfortunately pilot cutbacks in 1971 resulted in 525 line pilots, flight officer candidates and me being furloughed or put on hold. I moved my family back to our native Colorado and started my art career full time while waiting for United to recall the pilots and candidates.

Ed encouraged my artwork and helped me find customers for those early original paintings. He helped me set up art shows at several United domiciles. Soon I was receiving commissions for paintings faster than I could create them. Demand for my airliner art was impressive and a few years later my first painting was created for the Academy. This was the birth of the class painting.

Captain Miller continued to promote my aviation art to his many aviation friends and contacts all over the country. A founder of the Colorado Aviation Historical Society, he sponsored me for membership. I began doing annual art shows at the Hall of Fame Banquets. To Ed Mack Miller it was obviously apparent my destiny was to be an aviation artist; I still wanted to fly for United. After a few years of creating official class paintings for the academy he recommended I consider publication of my paintings. This way I could share even more of my art with cadets, their parents and friends.

He invited me to join him and his wife Kathy for dinner at the Denver Press Club in early January 1978. We were going to be partners. I will never forget that wonderful evening as we talked about the future of my art, how to self-publish prints and the importance of documentation of Air Force Academy history. From this meeting came the idea of hiding things in the background of my paintings.

I have tears in my eyes as I write this because Ed died from a massive heart attack three days later. Yesterday I had dinner with Kathy at our annual Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame Banquet. We toasted Captain Ed Mack Miller and our other Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame Laureates who have "Gone West." I feel in my heart that he is by my side as I create my paintings and document the history of the Air Force Academy with my God given talent. The Academy truly is the "Holy Land of the Space Age" as Ed called it in his book "Wild Blue U." I recommend reading his book. You can find a copy in the aviation history reference section of the Academy library...

-Rick Broome 8 November 1998

Today's studio logs will show I was on the golf course. Painting of course. The photo of the 1999 class painting today shows my studio view. On my art table is the class painting with research material scattered all over the canvas. Out my window is Paradise. I will spend the day capturing the beauty of the golf courses at the Academy. Can you imagine all the games of golf that surely have been played there?

Our good fortune is to own a private (state licensed) 40 acre wildlife sanctuary in the Broadmoor area of Colorado Springs. For over 21 years my family and I have contributed heart and soul to create one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the state. This is what I see out my studio window when my paintings come to life. Stay tuned for a couple more views of my studio; it is most heavenly! Click on the photo to the right for a better view of the sanctuary.

-Rick Broome 22 September 1998

-Rick Broome 16 September 1998

We took some time off this summer to catch up on home projects and recharge our batteries. It was our first vacation since 1995. I got back to some creative work on the class painting the first week of August and have averaged about 15 hours a day in the studio since then.

My research information on the C-17 arrived on schedule from 1986 Graduate and former PTWOB Major John "Odie" Oates. Odie has just been assigned to the 15th Airlift Squadron. It is part of the 437th Airlift Wing based in Charleston, South Carolina. The depiction of this giant airlifter is progressing well and really sets the stage for the aviation portion of the painting. The huge C-17 measures 41 inches across the top of the painting.

One of the difficulties of creating a mural is the large physical size of the original painting. Most of my detail work is accomplished on my art table while I do the larger areas on a vertical easel. It takes two people to move the painting from one location to another. During a typical day I will move the painting several times.

From an artistic standpoint my painting "style" is noted to be the most difficult in the world of art. I paint in the old world "Flemish" style which was the same way the Dutch Masters created their paintings. Rembrandt is the most noted of these famous painters. Few artists have the patience to create this style of original art in today's modern world. Maxfield Parrish (1870-1962) was one of the most famous American artists to use this style and was my favorite artist when I was growing up.

This difficult style requires a deliberate strategy and thought process in planning color before the painting is even started to achieve the results desired. The foundation of the painting is established with various predetermined "underpaintings" and the colors that are applied to these underpaintings are painted with transparent acrylics. This allows me to control the lighting in the painting to a high degree of perfection.

As external light is applied to the color it will illuminate the painting much the same way that light works in nature. Thus I can apply my Starlite techniques to the painting and cause huge changes in lighting and color as the external light is changed. Among the effects I can achieve are the illusion of clouds changing shape and shadows actually moving across the original as the frequency of the light changes. Some of the paint I use is actually invisible to the naked eye when seen in normal light.

For the 1999 Class painting the drama my technique allows is focused on the rays of the early morning sunrise. This lighting only lasts a few moments in reality but is preserved forever in the painting. My memories of my flying days serve me well in this effort. As a teenager flying a variety of different general aviation aircraft I would often preflight my airplane and takeoff in the early morning hours before the sun came up watching many a sunrise playing out glorious colors on the Rampart Range. These memories are captured in this painting.

The next few weeks will see lots of changes in the painting as it comes together in final form. The cadet area is nearly completed including a few gold fire hydrants. One change you will note in the photo of the painting (as it currently appears) is the disappearance of the C-47. Once I had my C-17 research in hand I needed to reposition the old Skytrain further away from the viewer. Although the C-47 was correctly depicted in perspective it was too close to the B-47 so I will be repainting it a few hundred feet further away in the background. This will allow me to focus more attention on the C-17 and soon to appear F-22.

Among the "hidden" items depicted in the background is a salute to all of the previous gold classes which are hidden in the mountains. Also you can now see the number 99 painted in gold on top of Vandenburg and Sijan Hall. This is an old trademark of my Academy paintings going back to the 1970s. The rooftops are illuminated by the golden rays of the sunrise and looks great!

-Rick Broome 7 September 1998

"Seems like every time I sit down and write some studio notes there is snow outside the window; today is typical. There is never any dull or boring time spent in this studio. Painting aviation history is the most amazing job you can imagine. When the talent meets the canvas through the brushes and Broome's it is a very childlike experience.

Today was one of my best days. This is because I was able to attend the Farewell Luncheon for my dear friend Col. David "Slim" Connors. To be included in the festivity was a huge honor for me. I am reminded that cadets really only see a narrow path; many miss the true genius and talent that surrounds the cadet wing. I am going to miss Slim a bunch. You guys never know sometimes the power of your company. You get the best in the world to guide you, believe me.....

As an outside and independent observer I have a keen sense of the heart and spirit of those charged with the responsibilities of taking high school graduates and turning them into first class military officers in four short years. So I look forward to days like today when I am able to absorb the feelings of your leadership and transform emotion into a visual representation of your time at the Blue Zoo.

When I have a great day like today was I am able to really soar on my paintings. I will finish the C-47 in the next day and then move to painting the cadet area. I took the research photo I am holding in my hand at Lowry AFB when I was 12 years old and the Class of 59 was but a few days from graduation.

In my 1998 Class Painting "Red Storm Flight" I hid an F-16 on Col. Connors window. Look for another F-16 hidden (this time in the background) with an IG note nearby as I salute Slim in the painting. I know he is dreaming about getting to fly his jet again; isn't that wonderful!"

-Rick Broome 16 April 1998

Studio Log while watching "Tin Cup" with my son and logging time with ninty nine....

My 1984 official class print was titled "Graduation Parade" and featured a formation to be recreated history on the moment of creativity; the painting became an operational mission and prints were gone before President Reagan met the class and hats were tossed. Today a mint copy of this painting is worth $2.000.00. A few Starlites remain at $3500.00 framed.... blockquote>

-Rick Broome 9 April 1998

Today will be spent working on the B-47 as well as the Cadet Area. The basic colors are set and I will be creating the depth of color behind the jet. The Boeing B-47 has always been a favorite of mine. And many who remember the aircraft regard it as one of the most beautiful looking aircraft ever designed. Many of the "Styling lines" of 1950 era automobiles were copied from shapes on the Boeing B-47. Of note is that it is the only jet featured on the collector aviation stamps now being issued by the U S Post Office.

-Rick Broome 5 April 1998

I created a painting a number of years ago of that flying experience and am using the view from that original as my model for the painting. Today's studio time will be spent sketching and underpainting on canvas. The light in the studio is perfect in the fog and snow outside my window. I have included a painting I did ten years ago to illustrate the typical Air Force paint scheme of that era. Look inside the cockpit of this venerable "Gooney Bird" when the painting is completed and you will see a self portrait of a kid flying the airplane.

-Rick Broome 2 April 1998

All digital photographs Copyrighted Rick Broome 1998