Mark Pestana is an internationally award-winning artist, specializing in landscape, seascape, and aerospace art. His paintings are in corporate, government, and private collections, and flown into space! Earning BS and MS degrees in science and engineering, he served in the US Air Force and NASA as a pilot and space operations engineer. He’s flown over 5000 hours in over 30 aircraft types, from heavy transport to supersonic jet. As an Air Force pilot he logged 213 combat intelligence sorties. He served as an operations engineer in the NASA Astronaut Office, working in Russia developing the International Space Station.

His memberships include the American Society of Aviation Artists, the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and the US Air Force Art Program. Fourteen of his paintings are displayed in the Pentagon collection. Mark has the unique distinction of designing nine Space Shuttle mission patches for the astronauts. Mark is currently a research pilot, aerospace engineer, and consultant for NASA, FAA, and adjunct faculty at University of Southern California, teaching aerospace safety.

“I am captivated by the natural beauty of our planet, our place in the universe, and the inspiration from the great explorers of land, sea, air and space. I have an optimistic vision of humanity’s expansion beyond Earth and into the solar system. I attempt to convey the inherent art and science (partly based on my own experiences) with the emotion, wonder, and excitement of these subjects, depicting themes in
aviation, space, landscapes, and seascapes…on Earth and beyond.“