Aviation Art by Lonnie Ortega at Ozark Airfield Artworks

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"Limited Edition Prints/ Giclees"

Here at Ozark Airfield Artworks we offer a large selection art prints. These prints mainly
depict modern and historic aviation along with military, civil and space flight. We also deal
with naval subjects and military armor and infantry works. These prints are from all the top
national and international artists along with some local artists. Many of our prints are
signed by the artist and by famous pilots and veterans. If you are looking for a specific
plane, pilot, artist or subject please contact us.

All images are copyrighted by the individual artist and may not be reproduced
without their consent.

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Lonnie Ortega was born in Southern California on October 3, 1946, and is one of six children.
Lonnie's art career started at the early age of four years. Lonnie gives much credit to his
older brother Gil, who being an artist himself, would be the pattern for Lonnie to follow.

Lonnie graduated from Western High School in Anaheim, California in 1964 and continued
his education at Cerritos Junior College in Cerritos, California. It was here that Lonnie
received his only formal education in the field of art.

In September 1966 he enrolled into Cypress Junior College, Cypress California where in the
summer of 1967 was drafted to play baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals. In the winter of
1967, Lonnie won a full athletic scholarship to Chapman College in Orange, California. In the
following summer of 1968, Lonnie's baseball days ended with a knee injury.

This setback would be a blessing in disguise, because Lonnie would now choose art as the
field he would concentrate all his efforts on. Lonnie's early art career would be a series of
family portraits and other various commissions. Lonnie's love for aviation has always been a
childhood dream, like building model airplanes and later drawing them.

Lonnie was hired in 1969, by the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach,
California (now called The Boeing Company after the merger with McDonnell Douglas in
1997). It was at McDonnell Douglas where he completed his art education as an understudy
with his mentor, the great Aviation Artist and Design Engineer, R.G. Smith. They became fast
friends and Lonnie would visit R.G. as often as possible for critiques on his artwork.

After R.G. retired from McDonnell Douglas, Lonnie would continue to bring his art work for R.
G. to critique. When R.G. passed away in May 2001, Lonnie was asked by R.G.’s daughter to
do a portrait of R.G. for his memorial. This was a great honor for Lonnie, to do a portrait of his
famous mentor.

Lonnie lives with his wife Julie who has been his inspiration in his art career. They have two
children, Megan and John, who are following close in their fathers footsteps as artists
themselves.

You can find Lonnie's work exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States
and abroad. Lonnie is a member of the Commemorative Air Force and is part of Air Group
One. This group is stationed out of Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California. Every year Lonnie
contributes his time and money doing the Gillespie Field Air Show selling his artwork and
giving back a percentage of money he earns back to Air Group One to fund projects that are
continually ongoing.

The P-82 Squadron another Commemorative Air Force unit which Lonnie was once part of
conducted symposiums in the past years where they've invited American and German Aces
to participate in fundraisers to buy needed parts to restore their rare P-82 Aircraft to flying
condition.

You can also find Lonnie at various Air Shows throughout the U.S. (i.e., Oshkosh and the
Reno Air Races). He also attends local air shows around the Southern California area. You
can contact Lonnie for information (e-mail noted below) on his next showing.

Lonnie says, "He will never reach his peak as an artist in this life, because there is so much
to learn and do".

NOTE: Lonnie retired from the Boeing Company on the 2nd of May 2002 after working 32
years in the Aerospace Industry. He’s now working on his artwork full-time.