Air Force veteran to display works at City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson

By CAITLYN BELCHER View Staff Writer

11 years ago

Jim Champlin begins outlining a watercolor of a Venice canal at City Lights Art Gallery, located at 3 E. Army St., July 1. Champlin, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, began sketching while serving in Vietnam in 1965. His work, including oil paintings, watercolors and acrylics, is on display at the gallery throughout July. (Samantha Clemens-Kerbs/View)

Jim Champlin poses with his work featured at City Lights Art Gallery, 3 E. Army St. Champlin, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, began sketching while serving in Vietnam in 1965. His work, including oil paintings, watercolors and acrylics, is on display at the gallery throughout July. (Samantha Clemens-Kerbs/View)

Jim Champlin begins outlining a watercolor of a Venice canal at City Lights Art Gallery, 3 E. Army St., July 1. Champlin, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, began sketching while serving in Vietnam in 1965. His work, including oil paintings, watercolors and acrylics, is on display at the gallery throughout July. (Samantha Clemens-Kerbs/View)

Jim Champlin’s painting of the Distinguished Flying Cross Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in California is displayed at City Lights Art Gallery. (Samantha Clemens-Kerbs/View)

Jim Champlin begins outlining a watercolor of a Venice canal at City Lights Art Gallery, located at 3 E. Army St., July 1. Champlin, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, began sketching while serving in Vietnam in 1965. His work, including oil paintings, watercolors and acrylics, is on display at the gallery throughout July. (Samantha Clemens-Kerbs/View)

July is usually full of American pride and patriotism because of Independence Day.

So it’s only appropriate the City Lights Art Gallery selected a veteran for its July featured artist exhibit.

Air Force veteran James Champlin is set to display about 35 paintings through July at the gallery, 3 E. Army St., according to gallery president Ed Klein.

“He’s one of my watercolor students, so I’m familiar with his work,” Klein said. “This guy is also an Air Force hero. So with the holiday, July seemed a natural fit to combine his story with his artwork.”

Champlin’s artwork ranges from ocean scenery to a portrait of musician Pink, and he’s experimented with watercolor, oil paint, acrylic paint and photoshop.

“I like the watercolor because you can blend things together, but I started with the acrylics within the last year or so,” Champlin said. “(My subjects) bounce around a lot. It’s whatever makes an impression or stands out to me.”

Born in Iowa, Champlin joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps to serve a two-year commitment.

“At the time, you had to go to flight training or go into the Air Force as an enlisted man, so I chose flight training and became a pilot,” Champlin said. “When my time was up, I became a regular officer and stayed in the Air Force until I retired.”

In 1961, the Air Force moved Champlin to California, where he was married four years later.

“I was a single parent with three children when I married a lady who was also a single parent with three children,” Champlin said. “Five months after we got married, I got orders to Vietnam.”

While deployed, Champlin survived a plane crash in the South China Sea that killed six people.

“We were going in to land, and the pilot flew into the ocean about 1,000 yards short of the runway because he lost contact,” Champlin said. “The Army had ducks, these amphibious vehicles in the water, and they pulled me off the wing. I had 53 stitches in my back, but I survived.”

During a separate air control mission, Champlin was flying a single-engine airplane when it started to run rough.

“I climbed up a little bit, but when I pulled the throttle back, the engine broke in half,” Champlin said. “So I had to get rid of the rockets and glide for 8 miles back to the base.”

To pass the time during his service, Champlin drew pencil sketches, which sometimes led to additional art projects.

“When I was in Vietnam, I did a pencil sketch of my wife at the time on a beach,” Champlin said. “I carried it around with me for 40 years before I turned it into a watercolor piece.”

The Air Force awarded Champlin with two Distinguished Flying Cross medals, the Meritorious Service medal and the Bronze Star medal.

In 2008, he proposed constructing a memorial in honor of the all the service members who have earned the cross medal. He painted a watercolor draft of the structure and presented it to the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.

“My idea was that there’s a lot of men and women who have earned the Distinguished Flying Cross medal but who have never received it,” Champlin said. “I thought of all the World War II guys who have earned it and need to be recognized in some way because they’re disappearing.”

Using private funds, Champlin contracted a sculptor in Colorado and placed the structure at the March Field Air Museum in California in 2010.

The memorial honors seven branches of service: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

“I wrote a bill in 2008 to get the memorial recognized nationally,” Champlin said. “It finally passed the House and Senate (July 9) and is now going to for presidential review. It will allow the memorial to be recognized at the same level as the Washington Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.”

Champlin moved to North Las Vegas four years ago and was introduced to the gallery by his girlfriend Mary.

“We’re bonded by music and art,” Champlin said. “Art is where you find it. Sometimes you work real hard, and sometimes it’s a happy accident.”

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, visit citylightsartgallery.com.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.