Clearing Skies

There finally seem to be some bright spots on the horizon, with the possibility of a viable vaccine for Covid-19 and the UK government letting us out of our cages for Christmas.

An art-related ray of sunshine is the upcoming Guild of Aviation Artists Virtual Exhibition that will run from the 7th of December (Pearl Harbour day for my countrymen) to the 11th. Considering the fact that this year’s exhibition at the Mall Galleries was cancelled due to the Pandemic, it’s great that the Guild has managed, at short notice, to put something together so that our artwork will be available. There will be 108 works of aviation art exhibited and I’ve been fortunate enough to have two of my paintings selected. I’m quite pleased with that. The Exhibition will be online, of course, and I’ll post a link to it as soon as I have one, which will be on Monday morning. The screen shot below gives an idea of what it will look like. You’ll be able to stroll around and study the artwork and, hopefully, decide to buy one or two. Prices listed include UK shipping.

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On another note, due to the enforced leisure we’ve had for the past 8 months or so, I’ve been pondering the effect of chance or serendipity in how our lives play out. When I look back, I can identify a few forks in the road which resulted in me being where I am now in my life.

Not to get too detailed, my somewhat accidental passing of the USAF Flight Medical exam led to an aviation career that has lasted over 50 years. Not bad for an avowed aviation anorak who had every possible Plastic model of WW2 aircraft hanging from the ceiling. Considering that I have a degree in German and Russian, entry into Aviation was unexpected, but fortuitous. Though I have been drawing and painting for almost as long as my flying career, it has not been until the last 8 months that I have been able to devote the time and energy to my passion for art that had for so long taken a back seat in the never ending quest for a crust of bread.

The answering of a two line ad in an aviation magazine was the fork in the road that eventually led to my being ensconced in East Hampshire rather than New Hampshire. The ad was looking for pilots for an “overseas” assignment on the Boeing 707. The assignment turned out to be with Saudi Arabian Airlines, a job that resulted in introducing me to more places in the world than I had ever imagined. It also resulting in meeting the British lady I’ve been married to ever since.

I could go on, but you get the drift. At many points in our lives we encounter unexpected opportunities for expansion of our horizons. These opportunities should not be summarily dismissed. Often, a leap of faith brings dividends we can’t foresee.

Enough philosophical rambling: What’s happening now in the art world?

Seventh Art Productions has a comprehensive selection of art related films available for DVD, Download or Streaming. I’ve seen a number of these and they are perfect for a rainy afternoon or evening (with or without a nice Single Malt). Go here to have a look: https://www.seventh-art.com/product-category/art/

The TATE has an online presence and you can look at their online galleries here: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/collection-on-display

Or you could head over to the Guild of Aviation Artists and have an online stroll through their extensive galleries: https://gava.org.uk/all-galleries

As far as individual Aviation artists, here are a few more links to browse:

Chris French: http://www.chrisfrenchart.co.uk

Paul Warrener: https://www.facebook.com/PaulWarrenerArt/

Neil Higgs: http://www.soaringscenes.co.uk

That’s it for this week. Stay safe and warm (or cool if you’re in Phoenix)