Disappointing Art Fair

The art fair was a bit disappointing not many people showed to view the fair. Perhaps the weather was too good. It was a very rare wonderful weather day and perhaps everyone was out enjoying the beach and just didn't want to waste the day by going to an art fair. This has been the rainiest summer I can remember in New England. A couple examples of the art that did sell for me.

I did manage to sell some of my aviation art so the show wasn't a total bust.

B58, Hustler

I'm a retired Air Force Pilot, and an online friend who is a pen, ink and colored pencil artist, who also admired the B 58 Hustler (Trenton Hill) created this version of the B 58. He has created a good number art works featuring vintage aircraft and machinery. He will be sending me print of his creation. In exchange, I sending him a print of one of my works. I am getting the better of the deal. Trenton's web site is http://www.wingartproductions.com/ Take a look you'll enjoy his site.

I've had to delay hanging my show at the Exeter Library due to the heavy snow today. We received a good ten inches and there is more coming this afternoon. I hope to get it hung tomorrow.

Turning Final

This painting depicts a vintage aircraft turning final to a grass airstrip. The scene is out of my imagination. However there is a grass airport about 15 miles from where I live.
The pilots among you can see that he is high and the turn will be wide but there wasn't space in the painting to depict a good approach.
The original was a 12 by 16 inch pastel on sanded paper. The original has been sold. However, I do have some giclee prints available.
I never flew a biplane but I think it would have been a ball.

A10, Warthog

An old friend and fellow Air Force Veteran whose son was in Afghanistan, flying the Warthog, mentioned that he would like a painting for his son.

This was the result. (no I didn't charge him)

B58, Hustler

I have to show you my favorite aircraft. At the time it was the fastest aircraft in the world. If it were made of titanium, it would still be one of the fastest aircraft in the world. At over twice the speed of sound and a skin temperature over 300 degrees, I would have to throttle back to cool the skin. I loved that aircraft.

On one of my flights, as I was approaching a KC135, jet tanker, for refueling, a kindly boom operator took this photo and mailed a copy to me. Many thanks to him.

After the Hustler was retired, some of our pilots went into the F4 fighter. I was told the F4 had to dive to break mach. The F4 pilots couldn't believe the ease at which the B58 went supersonic. We accelerated to 600 knots and started to climb and just slipped through the sound barrier as we climbed. As an aircraft gains altitude the thin air meant we were going much faster than what our airspeed indicators displayed. By the time we climbed to about 50,000 feet we were going about 1400 miles per hour. Alas we were entering age of the transistor and all the Hustler electronics were tube and very vunerable to the heat we generated.

High Flight

I created this painting as a tribute to the poem "High Flight" by John Magee. I found this inspirational during my career as an Air Force Pilot.

To paraphrase the sentiment: I soared the lofty heights and reached up and touched the face of God.

This painting has been sold.

The painting was a pastel and the aircraft was a ryan trainer. A couple of weeks ago I met an elderly gentleman (even older than me) and he purchase a print of this painting. In his youth he had had pilot training classes in this aircraft. It was a beautiful aircraft. I wish I could have flow some of the older aircraft such as the Ryan, and any of the biwings. The age in which I learned to fly was almost excussively jet. I only have thirty hours of piston time all the rest was jet.

My Aviation Art

I consider this painting "Into the Sunset" to be the signature piece in my aviation art endeavors.

It is actually somewhat biographical. I spent much a great deal of time in Japan and love Japanese Gardens and the Haiku.

The Haiku is a brief expression of a moment keenly perceived. The Americanized version is three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

My Haiku for this painting is:

"The sunset Bekons

I fly the valley of clouds

Tracking the beacon home."

I'm 70 years old, tracking the beacon home.

This painting has been sold and it is so personal to me I now wish I hadn't sold it.

I'm an old guy trying my first attempt at blogging so forgive any lack of skill or sophistication in this attempt.

I'm more interested in portraying my feeling of the romance of flying than the seriously accurate depiction of a specific aircraft that would be acceptable to the Association of Aviation Artists. I have nothing against the rivet counters (used in jest) and admire their art immensely, it's just not what I wish to paint.