As the Covid situation rambles on, I am at least grateful that I have time to devote to painting and drawing, since the day job has all but disappeared. I’m not whingeing, as I would rather be closeted all day with my brushes and canvases than almost anything else. Besides, I’m getting too old to go out on the motorbike when it’s -4ºC out there. Better to sit in the studio with the fan heater warming the feet.
I occasionally get asked, “How do you choose a subject to paint?” When it comes to Aviation art, answering this can get quite complex. There are obvious subjects, such as Spitfires, Lancasters, Mustangs, B-17s and other assorted aircraft from WWII that have almost universal appeal. If you look at various aviation art websites, these are among the most popular types and from a historical point of view, have a lot of different stories to tell. One of my problems, if you want to call it that, is that I have always gravitated to the lesser visited corners of aviation. While I have drawn and painted the popular subjects, I actively seek out the more obscure possibilities when pondering my next work. Though the aircraft which is portrayed may be well known, I try to find some unique setting or situation in which to set the scene. A case in point is my painting of a GAvA sketching day at the DeHavilland Museum, which does not revolve around the operational use of the subject aircraft, but the current setting as a museum exhibit and the artists involved in the activity of concentrating on their own work. In this case, we can ask, “What is the actual subject of the painting?” Is it the aircraft, or is it the artists who are concentrating on their work and who have not, in fact, chosen the Dove as the object of their interest?
Sketching at DeHavilland Museum, Oil on Canvas, 2011
Unless we have been directed to a singular subject through a commission, we can often be faced with this difficult choice of subjects from the myriad of possibilities with which Aviation history presents us.
This topic has come to mind because Paul Couper, a fellow member of the Guild of Aviation Artists has posed a “lockdown challenge”. As the result of a poll, it is up to us to choose a scene from our favourite aviation movie to paint, draw, or depict in some fashion.
The first challenge, of course, is to decide which aviation film is one’s favourite, not an easy task for most of us Total Aviation Persons. Having thoroughly perused the old VHS and DVD library and settled on one, the next step is to decide what scene best exemplifies the emotion, atmosphere etc., that we want to illustrate. I know that the result of this little exercise is bound to be fascinating, because among the Aviation Art community, there is a very wide, eclectic mix of interests. As an American, I tend to gravitate towards that side of the Atlantic in the choice of subjects, but, on the other hand, that is also countered by my 30 odd year residence in the UK. What to do? How to do it? You’ll have to wait until the first of March to find out…..
While we’re still under “house arrest” courtesy of the Covid situation, we can still find a few things to look at that might interest us regarding art, either Aviation or otherwise.
Stella Grace Lyons is pressing on with her great talks on various artists. Next Friday’s (19 Feb) offering will deal with Grant Wood and the regionalists. Her talks cost a few quid, but are well worth it and she usually has folks from all over the planet aboard. You can go here to have a look:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rdvwA99hQPO1khleGeGhlw
You can see her other offerings here: https://www.facebook.com/stellagracelyonsarthistory
There are some online courses and other events at the Tate here:
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on?daterange=fromnow&gallery_group=online
The American Society of Aviation Artists has some online interviews and other interesting features here: https://asaa-avart.com/asaawp2014/
The Dulwich Picture Gallery has some online events and such here: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/
And of course, a selection of Aviation art from some of the best:
Wade Meyers, as usual has a superlative selection of his work on show here: https://www.wademeyersstudios.com/works
Paul Hunt has a presence on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/PRHART63/
Neil Fraser has a nice collection here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.316153128942446&type=3
Chris Rock has a selection of his work here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.675075173050238&type=3
It looks reasonable promising that we might get released from our various lockdowns sometime this year. Here’s hoping. In the meantime, stay safe and keep creating art.