I was sitting comfortably, drink in hand and watching Grayson Perry’s Art Club on TV last evening, which got me thinking about the different slants people take on a given theme and the way that they deal with it. The theme for the week was Food and the way that a wide variety of folks chose to address that subject was diverse and eclectic, to say the least.
If we approach any subject from a personal point of view, then the results from a large population sample should, you might expect, vary quite a bit. In Aviation art, though, this does not normally appear to be the case. Most Aviation subjects are depicted in a very technical, left-brained way. Accuracy of line, correct colours and a myriad of technical details govern the way that aircraft and aviation subjects are depicted. You might ask how else could you do it and stay true to the core idea of what such art is all about. The dichotomy between a photorealistic technique and pure interpretation or emotion is an interesting one, and one that constantly fights for supremacy in my own approach to my painting and drawing.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve always been technically and mechanically minded that I started out trying to be almost photographic in my drawings. I even took a couple of courses in mechanical drawing and industrial design in my somewhat mis-spent youth and the training shows, more in my drawings than in my paintings, yet there has always been the urge to loosen up, get less technical accuracy and more emotion in my work. I suspect this is due to what aviation and flying mean to me. I have been a “total aviation person” as Uncle Roger (Remember him?) used to term it, as long as I can remember. I had all but given up on ever actually flying until the US got embroiled in Vietnam. Due to the “Draft”, I was resigned to entering the service, but was completely taken aback when, because of some mechanical aptitude and the passing of the USAF Flight medical exam, I was offered the chance to enter Pilot Training. Of course the military approached flying from a very technical and precise viewpoint, which appealed to one side of my nature, but the other side simply revelled in the joy of flight. I often thought that if I could fly without an aircraft, then I would do so. It’s the freedom, the 3 dimensional movement that excites me. Although always there in the background, my aviation career has always been guided by the technical, from systems knowledge to extensive procedures. I think that this is why I rebel a bit now when faced with an empty canvas. I want to express the feelings that aviation has always given rise to rather than the technical perfection that is so prevalent in the genre. This is not easy. 50+ years of emphasis on getting every thing just right is not shaken off overnight. I am trying very hard to get a bit less hung up on the “rivet counting” and concentrate on the interpretation of what flight, aircraft and aviation mean to me.
I take inspiration from the masters of the genre such as Keith Ferris, Gerald Coulson, Frank Wootton and others too numerous to mention and hope that one day I will be able to attain the goal I have set.
The examples below are not as technically perfect as they could be, but I’ve tried (and in my own mind fallen short ) to convey the emotions felt. Now that I have the time to look back over a life spent away from home and strapped in various aluminium tubes I can recall those moments that have delighted me, terrified me and left me astounded at how unbelievably lucky I have been to experience them. Here’s hoping that I’ll find my feet and be able (finally) to put down on canvas the feelings I’ve had when chasing the Northern lights for hours on end high over the Arctic, or the nervous tension of flying in close formation.
“The Northern Lights have seen queer sights”*
*The Cremation of Sam Magee by Robert W. Service.
A 747 freighter leaves contrails across the Arctic sky en-route from JFK to ANC under the bright and constantly changing Aurora. 5 Hours of sheer delight, with the cockpit lights turned as low as possible and just staring out in wonder.
T-38s over Webb AFB, Texas
This was the high point of my pilot training. I loved four-ship formation more than any other aspect of the programme. Every flight filled me with both joy and dread; the striving to be in position, the constant motion, the tiny, almost imperceptible movements of the stick and throttle and the intense feeling of satisfaction when it all came together. Nothing before or since has quite lived up to it.
As usual, here are a few links for Art related sites to visit while we wait out the end of lockdown:
Stella Grace Lyons continues her online talks and courses:
Here’s a little ink drawing course that might be fun:
https://www.facebook.com/events/779662259633761
Art UK has some online galleries to view:
Aviation Art Works has a gallery of some fine stuff;
Cheers,
Jack