Dog fights and fast planes keep this artist painting

By Bayard Stern

Assistant editor, Florida State Times

Troy White's art and life involve airplanes - no surprise since he comes from an Air Force upbringing, and he grew up loving World War II movies, especially the dog fights.

White received an M.F.A. from FSU in 1983 and has lived in Deland for 10 years. He has experimented with different mediums and subjects, but he has always loved aviation art. White just recently started painting in oil, which he says is much better for the realism he tries to capture.

"Research is very important to my art," White says. "If a plane has the wrong markings, someone out there will notice."

Troy describes his experience at FSU with the art department as "excellent." His major professor was Trevor Bell.

"He once told me I should join the Air Force, and I said, 'I don't want to do that; I just love painting planes,' " White said on the phone from his Deland home.

White also liked the tutelage of Jim Roche who, like Bell, is a well known artist as well as a professor. "He showed me some cool stuff," he said of Roche.

After graduating from FSU, White worked at a sign shop in Tallahassee for three years before moving to Deland to work at Skydiving Magazine, where he is advertising and production manager. He has worked there 10 years, making it his day job, while his art takes up many nights and weekends. White estimates that he takes 150 to 180 hours to complete a painting.

His life holds more than art and employment. He is also a licensed private pilot, since 1990, and a skydiver, since 1974.

White and his wife, Mindy, started Stardust Studios in Deland to market his limited edition prints.

"In order to get my name better circulated, I had to do prints," White said. "It seems to be working. I'm working on two commissions for original pieces." White's art has appeared in magazines such as Aviation Art, Flight Magazine and Aviation History.

He attributes his interest in aviation art to his childhood.

"I grew up with my father being in the Air Force, and World War II movies were very popular even though Vietnam was going on," White said. "I loved the pilots climbing into their chariots and jousting up there in the clouds.....it was a hobby of mine to read all I could find out about these planes and pilots. It just made sense to me to paint what I enjoy so much."

Send a letter to the Editor: fstimes@unicomm.fsu.edu

Copyright © 1997 Florida State Times