The things I learn…
I was talking to veteran Jack Shinn and he pulls out a hand-painted jacket along with a logo for Old Black Magic, a piece of Nose Art that he created for a B-24.
Jack was an artist who found an outlet during the war painting Nose Art insignias that were on the noses of B-24s. His first effort, “Old Black Magic,” was on the nose of a radar aircraft, and was done in part to impress his future wife, who modeled for the piece. Jack explains that most nose art was of naked women, but, because he was doing it based on his girlfriend, he painted her wearing a dress.
Although the military never officially sanctioned nose art, it unofficially approved it as a morale-booster. It was a survival technique in a harsh environment. A little bit of levity and diversion goes a long way, and a measure of pride and enthusiasm comes from individual expression. Similarly, young men, who were generally under the age of twenty, could derive some comfort from images of women, mother, and home.
Jack Shinn explains his art, and his major influence in this clip:
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