America's Muralist

Retired US Navy Illustrator Draftsman Petty Officer First Class Raine W. Clotfelter joined the Navy in 1983. He was stationed in Norfolk, VA where he served on board the USS Newport LST-1179, the USS Shenandoah AD-44, and on SURFLANT’s Admiral Staff. In 1988 Raine continued his career in the Navy by joining the Navy Reserves, serving in Miami, FL, Bangor, WA, Ft. Worth, TX, Pearl Harbor, HI, and Broken Arrow, OK, and overseas in the Middle East.

In January 2003, Raine was recalled to active duty, where he served on the front lines in Iraq for Naval Security in the Middle East. Even though his main line of duty was physical security to protect the Middle East U.S. Central Command and the airstrip in Bahrain, he was the only Navy DM there. Therefore, during this time Raine created artwork and technical illuatrations to support the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS).

Raine’s talented artwork has been published in several military and commercial publications such as Link, Surface Warfare and Navy News, Rural Missouri, and American Travel among several others. Some of his greatest historical pieces of art are displayed in military recruiting and reserve centers across the country, even the White House in Washington DC. Other artwork is displayed on the ships and in the commands where he served in the Navy and several are in cities and town all across the country. Among his artwork are over 100 detailed, hand-painted and airbrushed wall murals. These murals of American history are as large as fifty-feet high and with length of three hundred-feet long. In 2002, REDCOM photographed Raine’s artwork at the Broken Arrow Naval Reserve Center to classify the art as preserved Naval history and Raine as a “Naval Historian”.

Because of Raine’s professional illustration, he was chosen to serve on three separate admiral staffs. He has received four US Naval and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation medal among others for his intelligence work (technical illustrations) he produced in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The Navy was very careful in selecting DMs. In 1983 only 15 DM billets were available to fill. Out of 21 qualified applicants, Raine was selected first across the board. In the 1980's there were over 400 DMs in the Navy and upon his retirement in 2004 there were only 46. Historically; Raine was the Navy’s last Reservist DM when he retired in April 2004.

Raine’s extensive artwork includes pieces for Walt Disney Productions, Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Tri-Star Entertainment, Time Warner, Branson Teleproductions, Table Rock Entertainment, and a variety of commercial clientele. Raine has created music covers and folio designs for several entertainers such as Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Jr., Clint Black, and countless others. Beyond the entertainment industry, he has produced artwork for corporations such as JC Penney, Radio Shack, Comp USA, Boeing, McDonald Douglas, Texas Instruments, Bass Pro, Raytheon and many others. Most recently he has done several large historic murals for many cities and towns across the US and various museums such as the World’s Largest Toy Museum, The Harold Bell Wright Museum, the American Presidential Museum, the Branson Auto Museum and the Branson Celebrity Car Museum. With over 100 huge murals completed nation-wide, he states, “this is only… the beginning, more is yet to come!”

Metro Stories Creative Team

 Ecclesiastes 3:22 

Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him?

 “An artist work leaves behind a Legacy of History to be enjoyed by others long into  the future, after the artist is gone. ” -Raine