Susan Ware writes:

I have extended my artistic offerings and am introducing a new service. I am now doing custom airbrush and hand painting on a variety of items. I am doing gunstocks, motorcycle, snowmobile, and baseball helmets, and similar items.

I will do scenery, or animals, your company logo, or whatever you would like painted on your item. We apply automotive clear coat over the project to provide durable protection for it. Price estimates are available and depend on item size and degree of difficulty of design and time involved. Shown below are some of the custom rifle stocks that I have completed.

If you have an item you’d like painted, please email me at sware1@centurytel.net for a prompt reply.
Thanks very much,
Susan Ware

Here is a sampling of some of my works.

View 1.  Close up of a soldier carrying his wounded buddy into a river to  be picked up by a helicopter. There are Viet Cong across the river who were firing on the soldiers, and the helicopter has just taken them out.  I tried to contrast the tropical beauty of the place, and compassion and selflessness of a buddy, with the ugliness and violence of the situation in this segment.

View 2.  Close up of the Vietnam Memorial Wall with the U.S. Flag and Eagle above it. There is an older man visiting the wall and he is overcome with the memories of having served in this war and lost so many friends. In the reflection in the wall, we see his “younger self”, who is seeing the anguish of the older man and reaching out to him also. Behind him flies the POW- MIA flag to remind us to never forget all of those in all wars who never were accounted for and whose fate we never really knew.

View 3.  This full view of the soldier scene side of the gun, shows the helicopter rescue scene, and a village across the way in the hills, some mountains, and the words Viet Nam, 1965 - 1966, which are the years the owner served in Viet Nam. You will also notice the barrel and action of the gun are painted  and the barrel has barbed wire painted in a spiral pattern the length of it, to represent a substance that was used in many ways, with miles and miles of it being strung in that country, for all purposes, good and bad.

View 4.  A full view of the Vietnam Memorial Wall side of the gun. This side shows the U.S. Flag, an Eagle, An older man visiting the wall, and his younger reflection in the wall, the POW Flag, and the quote, “War is a tragedy, it takes man’s best, to do man’s worst”.  This saying has a story behind it. Before leaving Viet Nam, the owner went down to the village to buy souviners to bring home. One of the things he bought was a metal Zippo cigarette lighter. The old Vietnamese man selling it, asked him what he wanted engraved on it.  He told the old merchant to write whatever he thought would be appropriate. And this is what he engraved on it. It is a statement so simple and so very true, then and now.

For more of Susan's work, stop by her site.