I was just leafing through the pile of old sketchbooks that are stuffed into the bookcase in the studio. I was in the middle of one of my cleaning frenzies and was looking for things to bin. Of course when you start actually opening them, you realise that parting with them is basically impossible. One of the things that became crystal clear is the progress that I've made over the years in drawing and painting. Though I took some art and advanced art courses in high school and University, any discernible progress has been down to perseverance and soaking up any tips and techniques I could from far better artists than I. I loved my career in the air, but it did have an effect on my art primarily due to lack of time at home, and lack of time at other locations, Jetlag and the problem of carrying art gear with me. Part of the problem stems from the fact that I stubbornly refused to consider watercolours and insisted on only using oils. Self-inflicted wound, there. Never mind, I'm starting to come to grips with Water colour and gouache now, so better late than never. Only took me 50 years. I did, however always take a sketchbook and a selection of pencils and pens with me and when time allowed on layovers, would try to get out and about to do a bit of sketching of local items of interest. A case in point is the drawing below, of a pagoda in Kunming, China (notable in aviation history as the headquarters of the AVG in 1941). I taught at the Boeing training centre there for 3 years, so actually had a bit of time to wander about. Some of my drawings of Flying Tiger aircraft are still there, on the walls of the Training centre and a bar we used to frequent.
Another example of my traveling is the drawing of a metal giraffe sculpture on the terrace of the 'Watering Hole bar' of the Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi. These sketches were done fairly quickly as I seldom had a great deal of time, but they enabled me to at least keep my hand in.
Giraffe Sculpture, Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.
I still carry a small sketchbook with me on days out, and have recently been occasionally lugging the iPad along for the same purpose. I think it's important for us to be able to see with our 'artist's eye', which in my opinion is best captured on site in real time rather than just snapping a photo with our phone and drawing it later in the comfort of home. Of course photos are vital as reference material for future works, so I usually snap quite a few when a subject appeals to me. Mind you, it's a far cry from the days when I lugged my trusty 35mm film camera and all the associated clobber around with me on trips. I always found the perfect shot just after using up the last frame on the roll of film. At least we don't worry about that any more.
While flying with Saudia I spent 4 years teaching in the 737 simulator, which meant little line flying and consequently much time at home. My output in those days was pretty high as we didn't have kids and there wasn't a lot to do in Jeddah at that time. When I left Saudi Arabia at the end of 1991 I managed to sell all but a couple of them, so don't currently have a lot to show for it as far as photos. "Desert Departure", my painting of a Saudia DC-3 departing a Bedouin encampment is the only one I still have.
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Some of the drawings I did during that time survive though. The drawing of the harbour at Al Wejh on the Saudi coast was done during base training for a couple of young Saudi Pilots. The other instructor and his students were bouncing around the traffic circuit, so I used the time to wander down to town and sketch. One of the highlights of that era was a trip out to the fort that Lawrence of Arabia used during WWII when he was raising the Arab army to march on Aqaba. No camera or sketch pad on that day, but I do have a .303 British shell casing I found in the desert and a bullet I dug out of the wall. Missed opportunity. One of the reasons I usually have a small sketchbook along these days.
Harbour, Al Wejh, Saudi Arabia, Pen and pencil, A3
Once again, I find myself at home pretty much all the time. Up until the Covid lockdown of March last year, my incarnation as a Safety Auditor and Instructor for IATA kept me on the road for 2 - 3 weeks a month, so paintings tended to stay on the easel for ages until finished. I haven't travelled overseas since then which has given me the opportunity to spend much more time at the easel. Speaking of which, the painting for the Tangmere Museum is slowly coming together. It’s my first painting in Acrylics for quite a while, so great fun.
It's really wonderful to be able to devote time to it every day (between chores and gardening of course) Even during my remote working I'm on Zoom from the studio, so if a meeting gets boring I can just turn 90º and slip in a few brush strokes. Perhaps that's the best of both worlds.
There are still a few things going on that might interest you.
The Tate is gearing up for the summer and has a number of things happening:
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on
Stella Grace Lyons continues her online talks. Here’s one for you Turner fans:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1681263705417389/?ref=newsfeed
The Royal Academy also has some things of interest:
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions-and-events
And for those who have a passion for aviation art and would like to get involved, regardless of whether you are a novice, student or professional, The Guild of Aviation Artists would welcome you as a member. Go here to check it out: https://gava.org.uk/membership
Take care and keep creating. And save your sketchbooks.