06/04/2026
I've had a lifelong fascination with history, aviation and art. From an early age, I've used my artistic talents to combine those interests by drawing and painting scenes read in books or told to me by relatives who had flown in the US Army Air Forces during World War II. Visual inspiration came in the form of plastic airplane model box top art, every Time-Life book series I could subscribe to, and my family's 1972 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. My mom had the foresight to sign me up for oil painting lessons when I was 9 years old, and in addition to the traditional still life paintings my teacher would have me do, I did manage to squeeze in my own Master Studies of works by John Trumbull and Thomas Gainsborough.
I received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Mississippi State University, and after graduation got a job as the Graphic Design Coordinator for Taylor Machine Works, a manufacturer of lifting machinery in Louisville, MS. My job involved assembling the graphic elements for all sorts of publications, but I was also involved with special projects for things like international trade shows, for which I created a series of 8'x10' murals. It was a great job for a new college grad, but an opportunity to hit the road full-time as a guitar player in the band Southfire managed out of Nashville, TN, found me hitting the road after a year and a half at Taylor's, and I spent the next 3 years as a traveling minstrel from coast to coast. After we'd had our shot at the elusive brass ring, I went back to school and pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Electronic Visualization from Mississippi State University. My graduate research focused on the story of my relative Johnny Butler, who flew B-17 Flying Fortresses with the 384th Bomb Group in England during WWII. In addition to producing a 35-minute documentary on Johnny's experience titled Crew 19, I created the website for the 384th Bomb Group (www.384thbombgroup.com). It is now managed by a team of dedicated researchers and remains the flagship website for any 8th Air Force unit in WWII.
I remained as faculty at MSU for the next six years, launching my career as a college art instructor. While at MSU, I taught Drawing I and II, Design I and II, Rendering, and Computer Art. In 2004, I met my wife Crystal, and in 2005 we had our son, JT. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, we moved to the Mississippi gulf coast, and I worked for a year and a half as the Multimedia Coordinator during the rebuilding and reopening of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi. I got back into teaching in 2008, and since then I've taught for William Carey University, Tulane University, the University of Southern Mississippi, and I'm currently the Visual Arts Instructor and Gallery Director at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. I will retire from teaching full time in 2026.
In 1992, I became an Associate Member in the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA), an organization founded by aviation art pioneers Keith Ferris, R.G. Smith, Ren Wicks, Joe Kotula, and Robert McCall. I was juried in as an Artist Member in 2002, and in 2018 became an Artist Fellow. I served as the ASAA’s President from 2022-2024. In 2018, I began participating as a civilian artist with the National Museum of the Marine Corps Combat Art Program. In 2023, I was awarded the Colonel John W. Thomason, Jr. Award from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. In 2021, my good friend and fellow ASAA member Russell Smith came up with the idea of the two of us co-instructing "The Color of Flight" plein air painting workshop at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, NY, and I've had the great pleasure of being a part of the biennial event in 2021, 2023, and 2025...it's been a great hit! I've also had the opportunity to participate in the Department of the Air Force Art Program, documenting events for Space Force. In September 2025, I received the Order of St. Maurice, Civis level, from the Mississippi Rifles through the National Infantry Association. I look forward to creating more historical artwork in a multitude of directions.
As an artist, my work is rooted in realism and dogged historical research. I am passionate about history, and enjoy the research and preparation for a new artwork as much as its creation, in the hopes of creating a strong narrative and an accurate visual historical document. I dove into plein air painting in 2014 primarily to strengthen my studio works. The historical pieces I create are not based off of a singular historical photo, but instead are crafted from a vantage point to put the viewer in the scene, as if they were witness to it. In doing so, I've had to immerse myself in the study of color and light so that when I am assembling a composition from scratch, I'll be better informed as to what the scene should "look" like. Although my primary medium is oil, I enjoy working in graphite, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, watercolor, and gouache. I accept commissions in all of those mediums, and look forward to whatever is next on the easel or drawing board.
I currently live in Gulfport, MS with my wife, Crystal, and son JT, when he's home from college. My golden retrievers Roscoe and Ranger are my studio buddies.
Gallery- https://www.requestaprint.net/marines/gallery.php?searchText=poole&searchOption=Any&btnSearch=Search
