Heading Home by Jay O’Meilia, AWS

Internationally famous artist and Oklahoma native Jay O’Meilia graduated from Tulsa Central High School and received his art education at George Washington University, Art Students League of New York, the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, the University of Texas, and Cape School of Art in Massachusetts. Following his military service, O’Meilia became a professional artist. Jay O’Meilia was a Navy Artist in World War II and during the Korean Conflict.  Thus began an award-winning career with his works being received in the country’s leading art galleries and museums, including the Smithsonian and the National Academy of Design. Well known for his paintings of sports scenes, including a series salute to Oklahoma football, he co-created a Vietnam-era infantryman bronze Oklahoma War Veterans Memorial and Oil Patch Warrior, a seven-foot bronze salute to American and British oil workers of World War II, which stands in England’s Sherwood Forest.  In 1999, O’Meilia was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.