Pilots looking to make a personal or professional statement with their helicopter, plane-or any other toy–need look no further than the Heli-Expo in Houston.  Renowned painter Dean Loucks will display ways to “Bling Your Bird” at the Heli-Expo, February 20-23 as the exemplary paint scheme for this prestigious brand.
When Loucks purchased his own Enstrom 480 B turbine, it became more than ameans of transportation — it became a flying   advertisement for his company,
The Art of Design (TAOD), and his unique style and talent.  The first thing Loucks did was give his Enstrom a “TAOD touch.”  He used the helicopter’s lines to guide his use of black stripes and accents over a base of his preferred, dynamic red-one from his own signature line of colors developed for Akzo Nobel.  With that brilliantly painted calling card, his helicopter enabled him to travel easily to various events while giving the TAOD bird a great deal of visibility and recognition.
The Elkhart, Indiana resident creates distinctive custom paint schemes for clients across the country, ranging from owners of helicopters and motorcoaches to world-class powerboats and motorcycles.  As a life-long, self-taught artist, he creates inspired designs that incorporate the client’s color preferences, lifestyle and use.  His team of artisans then executes the work under his close supervision and participation, creating flying, rolling and roaring works of art.
Among the first helicopter customers to see
his work was Steve Mann of Mann Construction, Inc. of West Monroe, Louisiana.  He had heard of Loucks through a referral and also heard that he was fast becoming known for his line of fine art.  For Mann’s helicopter, Loucks used a “Spider” theme in vibrant red with black web detailing.  Mann liked the paint scheme so much that he asked for a painting of it, which Dean delivered, showing the realistic helicopter hovering over surreal rooftops.  Dean Loucks Fine Art line has the same distinctive style as his large — work murals, using the same “tools of the trade” including an automotive paint gun, air brush and reducing chemicals.  The bleeding of subtle background tones makes the red helicopter jump from the painting as if flying!  This helicopter is so impressive that Enstrom asked Mann if they could use it as the company’s display chopper at the Heli Expo and he gladly complied.
One of the many helicopters Loucks has painted is another Enstrom 480 B for
Hans Ashbaugh, head of his hometown’s Elkhart Brass company.  The 100-year old, 4th-generation owned company is well-known in commercial construction internationally for creating top-quality fire protection equipment for fire departments, drilling companies, the marine industry and various military and government entities.    Ashbaugh knew of Dean’s work and asked him to paint his new helicopter since as he was not fond of its original colors. Ashbaugh’s helicopter features Dean’s signature Akzo Nobel automotive red with curved black accent stripes that give the helicopter a fluid, in-motion appearance even sitting on the tarmac.  Says Enstrom’s Director of Sales Tracey Biegler, “Wow!”
“Enstrom has great respect for Dean Loucks’ work.  We’ve had numerous customers choose to work through TAOD for the fantastic results that they can then fly home.  Due to the ‘WOW’ factor that his paint schemes provide, we have chosen to bring in a fantastic 280FX, owned by Steve Mann, to display in our booth at HAI, in Houston,” says Biegler, “From past results I know that this will provide the ‘stop in your tracks’ results and fill our booth with helicopter and TAOD enthusiasts.”
For more information visit www.taod1.com or www.deanloucksart.com.