Leland Horn, an aerospace engineering manager from Colorado Springs, vividly remembers his flight with Van Valin several years ago. His drawing depicted a lighthouse and a bicycle, among other things.
"I've traveled all over the world and never had an experience quite like that one," said Horn, 51. "When she handed us the crayons, we were kind of all looking at each other. She sort of in a teasing manner goaded us into participating. It only took 10 minutes before we were all drawing and we were busy until the descent into Salt Lake City. The time went by so fast it seemed we had just taken off from L.A. It was a good experience."
All four members of Dan Lawrence's family sketched their way over the Pacific on a Hawaii trip in April.
"It helped take your mind off the flight," said Lawrence, a 44-year-old San Dimas graphic artist who drew a dragon for Van Valin.
Delta Airlines President Ed Bastian said he has seen some of the artwork and was impressed by the thought that went into them. "They were sharing times of joy and times of sadness," he said.
Bastian said he "very much" supports the idea of the drawings being publicly displayed at LAX.
And that may be possible, according to officials of Los Angeles World Airports, the city department that operates LAX. Several past dust-ups over public art in the terminals forced the city to take a cautious approach to LAX displays, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles.
Airport officials said they are willing to work with Van Valin to create a gallery, but that there can be no more impromptu displays of what she calls "Just Plane Art."
Taping pictures to the walls at LAX won't fly.
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bob.pool@latimes.com
