Boeing P-12

Boeing P-12 by Keith Ferris 
Canvas Print Size: 24″ X 18″

Flying is a sensation of being suspended between earth and sky. In company with other aircraft in the air, hanging motionless as the distant background of earth, cloud and sky drift slowly by, the feeling of exhilaration is often overpowering. The three dimensional aspect of this experience never fails to fascinate me. Sharp detail and color of the subject hang in stark contrast to the more subtle blues and grays of the skyscape beyond. Airplanes live in a sunlit sky that accentuates directional lines and often picks out jewel-like detail, charging the scene with excitement.

The Boeing P-12 painting is a portrait, not only of the aircraft, but of my Dad as an instructor in the 43rd Pursuit Squadron flying from Kelly Field, Texas in the early 1930s.

Overall, we see that big engine up front carrying a very business-like airframe and a happy professional fighter pilot in distant company with two friends. Among many details of significance directed at those who were there is the reminder that, in those days, there were no runways…I could not resist trailing straw from the P-12’s tail skid.