Featured Image - Castor Oil Music
Russell Smith Studios January Update
January 12, 2012
Hi folks. Happy New Year to you all. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season. I'm a little slow in getting this month's update out. As you'll see, I had to wait for the new painting dry so that i could scan it and get it on the site.
New Painting - Castor Oil Music
Fresh off of the easel is my portrait of Raymond Collishaw's Sopwith Triplane Black Maria. This piece one of several triplanes flown by RNAS Cdr Raymond Collishaw. Collishaw, who commanded “B” Flight of Naval Squadron 10, scored two of his 60 victories in this machine. N533 bore the name Black Maria on its fuselage and was marked with a large “C” on the fuselage and upper rear elevator. This was one of only a handful of Sopwith Triplanes which were equipped with twin Vickers machine guns rather than the single Vickers which most Triplanes were armed with. This piece will actually serve as the color study for my upcoming ground scene of the Sopwith tripes of Naval 9 "B" Flight.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Small%20pages/Castor%20Oil%20Music.html
Strähle's Broken Bird now available as a limited edition giclee on canvas.
Strähle's Broken Bird is now available as a VERY limited edition giclee on canvas. This special edition of prints on canvas measures 21" x 27". The edition consists of only 20 prints, each of which is signed and numbered on the back.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Small%20pages/Strahle's%20Broken%20Bird.html
Two New Open Edition Prints
The first is an aircraft portrait of the SE5a flown by LT. E. G. Davies of 29 Sq RAF. Davies scored three of his ten victories in the machine, but was unfortunately killed in it when it shed its wings during an acrobatic maneuver.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Small%20pages/Davies%20SE5a.html
The second is an aircraft portrait of the Nieuport 28 flown by Lt. Quentin Roosevelt. Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest (and favorite) son of Teddy Roosevelt. Quentin served with the 95th Aero Squadron in WW1 and was shot down on July 14, 1918. The German high command, hoping to use this victory as a morale booster for the German people, made a postcard of the dead pilot and plane. However, this move backfired as the German people, who held Theodore Roosevelt with high respect, were impressed that his son died in active duty.
The original oil on linen painting of Quentin Roosevelt is also available for purchase. It measures 9" x 13" and is oil on linen on masonite. Contact me if you are interested.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Small%20pages/Quentin%20Roosevelt.html
Tumult In the Clouds: The Aviation Art of Russell Smith
The reviews are coming in:
- "I received your book in Friday's mail and have to say what a wonderful addition to my aviation collection it is! I love the way you paint clouds and weather conditions - not to mention those wonderful biplanes - and find your work very inspiring."
- "Russell Smith's artwork is excellent! The book is remarkable. I have enjoyed his works in exhibitions of aviation art and the book lives up to his high standards! Just amazing."
- "Russell Smith's artwork is oil/fine art at its best. In addition, his knowledge and mastery of rendering aviation history is second to none. As WWI aircraft admirers and aviation art lovers, we highly recommend this book."
Tumult In the Clouds: The Aviation Art of Russell Smith is finally here! I will be gin shipping out pre-ordered copies next week. For those of you who purchased remarques, I will be mailing those copies out as I complete them. I ask that you please all be patient since I have a lot of books to mail and a lot more remarques to complete.
Lavishly illustrated, the book features 44 full-color paintings and 20 drawings that bring WW1 aviation to life. More than a dozen respected WW1 aviation authors contribute to the story with chapters providing the background for the paintings to increase your understanding and appreciation of my artwork and my subjects. Finally, in a well-illustrated chapter, I will tell you how I go about creating a typical painting.
• 44 Full-color paintings
• 20 Black and White drawings
• 50 color photos of museum and reproduction aircraft
• 180 WW1-era black and white photos
• Chapters by Javier Arango, Lance Bronnenkant, Dennis Gordon, Jon Guttman, Adrian Hellwig, Jim Miller, Fred Murrin, Colin Owers, Stephen Skinner, Edward Soye, Alan Toelle, Greg VanWyngarden and Charles Woolley.
• Hard-bound, 176 pages, 8.5" x 11" page size, landscape (horizontal) format. ISBN: 978-1-935881-02-5
Free media shipping within the USA.
Also available exclusively through Russell Smith Studios are special remarqued editions. Remarqued editions will include a small drawing created on an 8.5" x 11" vellum insert. These drawings can be left in the book or can be taken out and framed. Remarqued editons are $99.95. Upon placing your order you may specify what subject you would like or you may leave it up to me (please keep it simple - remember, there is only so much that one can fit into a small drawing!).
Be sure to order now if you haven't already.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Tumult%20Book.html
Aeronaut Books - http://www.aeronautbooks.com/
Works In Progress
- I've finished the figure work for my painting depicting the Sopwith Triplanes of RNAS Sq. 9. This piece will be entitled Black Flight Briefing. As stated above, my newly finished paining, Castor Oil Music, will serve as the color study for this piece. I plan on starting the painting next week.
- I've recently been asked to give presentations to two different local art groups. In preparation for these presentations I've put together three small aircraft portraits as demos - an RNAS 3Sq Sopwith Pup, Lothar von Richthofen's Fokker Triplane and Armand de Turenne's SPAD XIII. These pieces will, in the end, be finished aircraft portraits. The triplane and the SPAD are already spoken for, but the Sopwith Pup is still available for purchase. I hope to have at least one of these finished and ready for viewing by the end of the month.
- I'm sketching out ideas for an upcoming painting depicting the final flight of Quentin Roosevelt. This piece will adorn the cover of Over the Front later this year.
- The perspective drawings for my Ralph O'Neill piece are now finished, as are the tonal studies. I'm now working on the background elements and hope to have an overall composition put together in the next couple of weeks. I should be able to start a WIP folder on my FaceBook Studio page soon.
- The Albert Ball project is now in play! I roughed out some sketches for this project a couple of years ago, and fortunately the customer wants to go with what I had in mind. This project will feature not 1, not even 2, but 3 paintings - that's right, it will be a triptych!
Pencil Drawings and Studies available
- As you all can see, I have lots of exciting projects coming up in the next few months. In addition to the ones listed above, here are some ideas that I hope to get to in the next few months:
• A painting involving FE2bs and and German Albatrii.
• A ground scene featuring Max Immelmann and a Fokker E.I
• A portrait of Charles Nungesser's Nieuport 17
Pencil Drawings and Studies available
- Be sure to browse through the pencil drawings and studies that are available on my website. I've added a couple of new ones lately, so you may find something there that catches your eye.
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Pencil%20Studies.html
Commissioned Work
- Have you ever considered commissioning an original painting or drawing but thought that it would be out of your price range? You might be surprised at how affordable original artwork can be. If you are toying with the idea, send me an email and I will reply with information regarding my commission rates and payment plan options.
Originals For Sale
- Make sure to keep checking the "Old Works for Sale" list. You never know what might pop up here:
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Works%20for%20sale.html
Upcoming Projects
- I have lots of exciting projects coming up in the next few months. A mong the paintings that you will see from me in the coming months are:
• A ground scene featuring Max Immelmann and a Fokker E.I
• A portrait of Charles Nungesser's Nieuport 17
Follow Russell Smith Studios on Facebook
- If you have a Facebook account, make sure to sign on as s "fan" of Russell Smith Studios. Unlike my website, which features mainly finished works and items for sale, I'll be using my Facebook as a blog of sorts - posting works in progress, descriptive progression shots, commentary and answering your questions.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Russell-Smith-Studios/103226508613
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