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Nose artist Jerri Bergen: Cowlings are her canvas

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Some artists paint portraits, others prefer landscapes. Jerri Bergen, however, paints noses—of aircraft. Traditionally, nose art is the decorative art that was painted on an aircraft mostly by military mechanics and pilots involved in yesteryear’s conflicts. A unique genre that reached its peak during World War II, nose art is enjoying a revival thanks to artists like Bergen. A former computer information systems manager at McDonnell Douglas, Bergen started Victory Girl nose art studio in 2006 with her twin sister Terri, who enthusiastically supports her work as does Bergen’s husband, Chris.

Bergen’s passion is to help preserve military aviation history and memorialize the stories of today’s pilots through art. To date, she has created art for more than 100 aircraft and at least a couple of hundred jackets.

“Nose art is my passion,” said Bergen. “I love it not only for the artwork, but for the story each piece of artwork has to tell.”

Take a moment to nose around this selection of Bergen’s artwork.

Topics: Aviation Industry

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