I have always been fascinated with aviation. Growing up near Lincoln I remember Vulcans thundering overhead on finals into Scampton and Waddington, and visiting airshows where the awesome sight and sound of a Lightning disappearing vertically into the sky made a lasting impression.
It was memories such as these that inspired me to begin drawing aircraft. I began with pencil illustrations and developed a highly detailed style that I feel suits the technical and mechanical nature of the subject. In 2000 I joined the prestigious Guild of Aviation artists as a Friend and have been lucky enough to have exhibited at their Annual Exhibition for most of the intervening years. In 2016 I was proud to become a Full Member of the Guild and have also become much more involved in the organisation, particularly in designing and managing the Guild website.
Recently I had the great privilege of meeting former Mosquito pilot Flt. Lt. Colin S. Bell who completed 50 missions over Europe towards the end of WWII. He was kind enough to sign prints of my painting ‘The Last Raid’ depicting a 608 Squadron Mosquito over Kiel.
For me, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of aviation art, the chance to meet incredible people such as Colin.