Raised in a home designed by his mother and built from scratch by this father, it’s no wonder artist Scott LoBaido has a talent for creating masterpieces. The fourth generation New Yorker grew up in Staten Island surrounded by a proud, patriotic community while he discovered and developed his passion for painting.
Scott’s love of old glory came to life in a big way 25 years ago when patriotism became his artistic subject. He started by painting the American flag on local businesses, challenging himself to feature the flag through different angles and styles. Soon local schools, police stations and firehouses were commissioning his work. Before he knew it, he had painted on cars, boats and even broken the record for the biggest flag ever painted on a warehouse in Texas.
In 2006, he took this artistic challenge to a new level—a grassroots, 10 month tour painting the flag on a rooftop in every state across the country. During the trip, he painted on everything from hospitals and stores to churches and homes.
Now he’s back on the road, but this time he’s painting a flag on one veteran’s post in every state.
“I’m dedicating six months to this tour not only to promote the glory of old glory, but also to thank the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifices for our freedom,” said Scott. “As an artist, I cherish my First Amendment right to express myself, and those who served gave me this gift. I’m just going around and saying thank you.”
At each stop, Scott takes about two to three days to paint a beautiful, unique mural from start to finish, overcoming the physical and environmental challenges that come with painting massive outdoor spaces. Aching from painting and covered in Behr paint, Scott leaves each veterans post physically exhausted but mentally recharged and inspired by the veterans he meets along the way.
“It’s a lot of work, but the response I get from veterans and their families makes it so meaningful for me,” said Scott. “Hearing their stories and reassuring them that their service was impactful creates a special bond between us, and leaving patriotic artwork behind to help spread appreciation for veterans is what makes this tour so special.”
Nearly a third of the way done now, Scott will complete his journey at the end of August. Check out the flags Scott has completed so far as he continues painting flags across America.
Scott’s Flags Across America program is sponsored in part by The Home Depot and Behr.
