As 2020 started to come to a rather miserable close, the COVID 19 restrictions in the UK tightened up once again and this meant there would be one last weekend of social flying allowed up at Dunkeswell Aerodrome. It so happened that this was also the weekend I had drove up there to deliver the recent painting of the hangar with the Piper Cub and its stablemates. It was a beautifully crisp December day, the perfectly blue sky buzzing with aircraft activity as pilots got in one last hurrah of flying, before grounding for another vague set of lockdown rules.
As the owner of the new painting and I chatted outside the hangars, we were joined by other pilots and crew, one of them the owner of a beautiful Jodel DR1050 light aircraft. It had been lovingly restored by the owner and his brother. On seeing the Piper Cub painting he asked if he could commisson a couple of paintings of the Jodel, which I was of course delighted to do!
The Jodel DR1050 G-AVGZ preparing for a pre-COVID lockdown flight in December 2020
The commission brief was for one of the Jodel in flight and one on the ground at Calais airport referencing the owner's photograph from a memeroable trip there. I suggested that for the airborne piece that we have it local airspace with Wellington Monument below.
The Jodel DR1050 G-AVGZ at Calais Airport - the photo would be the basis for the commission.
I begun with the airborne scene over Wellington to get my hand in getting familiar with the colours and lovely lines of this aircraft. It was a much simpler proposal than the second set-up, as the Calais airport structure involved a lot of architectural painting of windows with light and reflections to consider. Sketching out the Calais scene, I excluded the second aircraft and moved the Jodel to the centre of the frame. When it came to painting, I lifted the rather drab weather and sunlight on the building and added reflections of the Jodel into the windows.
Sketched, inked and ready for paint.
The two freshly finished paintings of Jodel DR1050 G-AVGZ on the easel together.
Both of these pieces were a joy to paint, and it is always particularly enjoyable for me to be personally up-close with the story behind the subject matter. In fact hopefully super up-close - as my son and I are looking forward to a flight in the Jodel soon! Updates to follow...
The finished canvasses - with the Jodel in her hangar at Dunkeswell Aerodrome.
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