Something’s up at Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center.
It’s a flying motorcycle used in combat during World War II.
The exhibition “Steel Seas & Sky Machines,” opening on Wednesday, will feature seven iconic "aerocycles." Among them: The “Flying Freddie,” named for pilot Freddie Vincent, a fictitious native of Portsmouth, declared MIA with his squadron after the Pearl Harbor attack.
The artist behind this alternative world, where history and science fiction combine, is Portsmouth-born Tony Snipes. His unorthodox lens inspires him to reimagine the past and technology of the future, a subgenre called dieselpunk, which finds creativity in the industrial.
“This will be literally a unique opportunity to walk through this entire world I’ve been able to create,” he said.
Nearly a decade ago, Snipes' first drawing of a flying ship in the clouds resonated with his Facebook followers. His confidence soared from there, fueling him to build a parallel universe to escape the mundane that doubles as a historic nod to his maritime heritage.
As his digital presence grew, he began selling at comic-cons and online from his home in Greenville, South Carolina. Customers from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands bought more than once.
"The audience kept saying, 'Give me more,'" Snipes said.
One of his Instagram followers worked for the city of Portsmouth. Their communication led to his first show last April at the Art & Culture Center. The success of that led to the idea of showcasing his work in a full exhibit.
“I’ve been blessed to have my work sold across the country and outside of the U.S., getting the word out about my little hometown,” Snipes said. “I am so excited I get the opportunity to do an exhibition for three whole months.”
As a Norcom High School student, Snipes was drawn to commercial art and completed his degree in graphic design and illustration at Norfolk State University. Jobs in marketing and news media paid the bills as art became a hobby.
When a coworker offhandedly remarked that he missed his calling, “Something triggered in me,” Snipes said. “I needed it to get back to the front burner instead of being on the back burner.”
The corporate world taught him the power of harnessing the internet for social media marketing. His fictional company, Portsmouth Aeroshipbuilding, has its own Instagram page followed by more than 5,000. Per the employee handbook, the yard that stretches across more than 740 acres — including airspace — is a city in itself, with dining halls, mobile canteens, police and fire brigades and communication offices.
Snipes is “the PR guy,” in charge of releasing news about the latest in vessels built to carry the fight into the stratosphere.
A passion for World War II and an appreciation for his grandfather's generation never left him. Snipes’ grandfather worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard; Snipes relies on old photos from outside sources because security protocol has prohibited him from visiting.
“I’m longing for the opportunity to one day go there and look around,” he said.
Snipes will discuss how alternate history, sci-fi and dieselpunk tell deeper truths about place, identity and history in his one-hour talk “Portsmouth Through a Science Fiction Lens” at 1:30 p.m., Saturday at the cultural center. He also plans to chat with art students at Norcom, Manor and Churchland high schools.
The exhibit includes special editions of his 2D work, which are large canvases of his artwork, and his 3D aerocycles. The model aerocycles, including one named for his grandmother, Willie Mae, are painted, weathered flying motorcycles printed in 3D and crafted by Snipes. Detailed storytelling adds relatable emotional context.
“My goal is to always tell a story,” said Snipes, motivated to capture attention beyond a cursory glance at his work on the wall. “If there’s a story behind the work, it captures the person that much more and that much longer.”
His yarn on Vincent, the pilot stoked to do test runs, includes an enthusiastic postcard to his wife, Maggie, about that honor. Two years later, in 1943, his legacy lives on, as the yard secured a government contract to produce and launch the first squadron of Flying Freddie aerocycles.
No surprise that the narrative thickens as Vincent's story continues by going backward in time. Turns out he was working security at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, stopping the assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln.
"I don't know much about it," Snipes said, with humor. "I'm just the PR guy."
Finding creativity in the industrial landscape comes easily to Snipes.
“Every time I would come back home, seeing the cranes and ships and what ship is being worked on gave me that warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feeling,” he said. “I’m honing in on this thing that not every artist in the universe is honing in on. It’s my creative sweet spot.”
The Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center, 400 High St., Portsmouth, 23704.
“Steel Seas & Sky Machines” will be on view through June 22. Admission is $3.
