|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Aviation Artists  Gerald Coulson |
[UP] - Ivan Berryman - Robert Taylor - Stan Stokes - Nicolas Trudgian - David Pentland - Philip West - Gerald Coulson - Graeme Lothian - Anthony Saunders - Keith Woodock - Robert Tomlin - Michael Rondot - Brian Bateman - Barry Price - Geoff Lea - Keith Aspinall - John Young - M A Kinnear - Michael Turner - Robin Smith - More Artists |
| More Pages : Royal Air Force - United States Air Force - German Aviation - Civilian Aircraft |
| Gerald Coulson |
Gerald Coulson has been painting professionally for over 47 years and has a reputation that is second to none. Entirely self taught, he developed his technique to such a high standard that his work was published as fine art prints, enabling him to begin a full time painting career in 1969. Since that time his work, covering many different subjects, has been published and marketed worldwide as both open and limited edition prints. Gerald has had many one-man shows both in the UK and the USA and his work has been extensively exhibited throughout the world. A recent one man show of his in the UK attracted more than 3000 people in two days. The Fine Art Trade Guild have placed him in the top ten best selling artists no less than fifteen times - three times at number one. Coulson's passion for aircraft stems from childhood. This passion led to an apprenticeship as an aircraft engineer after which he served in the RAF as a technician and with British Airways as an engineer at Heathrow. His knowledge of aircraft engineering, combined with his drawing ability, led to him becoming a Technical Illustrator of service manuals for Civil and Military aircraft. These experiences and technical background have allowed him an insight and intimate knowledge of the aircraft he paints. Along with a unique ability to capture these aircraft on canvas this naturally led to a painting career which he has developed to successfully cover a wide variety of subjects. Following a trip to the 1991 British Grand Prix his interest in Motor racing was fuelled. His ability to capture the technical detail and a talent for painting subjects at speed meant that this was a perfect natural progression alongside his aviation work and he is now also firmly established as one of the worlds leading motor racing artists. A Vice President and founder member of the Guild of Aviation Artists he is a four times winner of the Flight International Trophy for outstanding aviation painting. He qualified for his pilots licence in 1960 and is still actively flying today - mostly vintage aircraft, and can often be seen buzzing over the Fens of Cambridgeshire in a Tiger Moth. Whatever the subject he paints, whether aviation, landscape or portrait, his unique ability to capture the realism and 'mood'of the scene is unsurpassed, making him one of the most widely collected and highly regarded artists in the world today. Between 2003 and 2008 Cranston Fine Arts purchased the remaining back catalogue prints from Gerald Coulson's previous publishers. His early prints are now very sought after and many items which we purchased are now at very low stock levels with many sold out already. At the time of writing, many are down to the last 20 or even as low as the last few prints. We only sell direct to our customers and not through other outlets, which means nearly all these prints are exclusively available direct from us. Sadly Gerald passed away on the 6th of February 2021. |
| Navigation | |
| Page 3 of 4 | Previous .. Page 3 .. Next |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 3 of 4 | Previous .. Page 3 .. Next |
| Text for the above items : |
The Lonely Sky by Gerald Coulson. A single Royal Flying Corps SE5 patrols the clouds above the trenches of the Western Front. |
Moonlit Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item |
Leading the Way by Gerald Coulson. On August 15th 1942, under the leadership of Don Bennet, a new group was formed from Bomber Command to develop specialised target finding and target marking. Made up purely from experienced volunteers, this elite and highly trained group of men were known as the Pathfinders. Up until this point the means available to Bomber Command of accurately finding their targets were totally lacking and the task of the Pathfinders was to develop techniques to precisely define these targets ahead of the main force. Initially made up of four Squadrons Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons) they were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. Originally part of No.3 Group Bomber Command the Pathfinder Force was directly answerable to C-in-C Air Marshal Arthur Harris until January 1943 when it became a separate group, No.8 (PFF) . Personally selected for the task by Arthur Harris, the Australian born Don Bennet, just 32 years of age proved to be and inspired choice to form the Pathfinders. A navigation expert without peers he was widely experienced in flying all types of aircraft including fighters, flying boats and bombers and already an experienced operational bomber captain. Along with many of his colleagues, such as Hamish Mahaddie and John Searby he was responsible for instilling in his men the Pathfinder Spirit - an intangible quality of dedication which bonded them together. Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. The first Pathfinder unit to fly the Halifax was 35 Squadron based at Graveley. With some of the greatest Bomber Aircrew amongst their number the unit quickly gained a reputation for excellence that was second to none. This superb painting from one of the worlds most highly regarded Aviation Artists, Gerald Coulson, depicts a Halifax B.MkII series 1A of 35 (PFF) Squadron on an operation over occupied Europe. Flying at around 20,000 feet and completely alone and unprotected, the crew navigate their bomber well ahead of the main force, leading the way to their target. |
Mission by Moonlight by Gerald Coulson. To commemorate this much-loved and incomparable aircraft, Gerald Coulsons evocative painting depicts a Mosquito B Mk. XVI, a high altitude bomber version, on operations deep over occupied Europe. In this guise the Mosquito was by far the fastest piston-engine bomber of World War II, and also the only light bomber capable of delivering the devastating 4,000lb block-buster bomb. |
Moonlight by Gerald Coulson. Flying secret agents in and out of occupied France, transporting arms and radio equipment to the Resistance, and collecting downed airmen from behind enemy lines, was one of the most hazardous flying operations of World War II. These cloak and dagger sorties, always conducted at night by the light of the moon, required a cool head and inordinate flying and navigational skills - a duty performed courageously by the pilots of RAF Special Duty Squadrons. Due to their clandestine nature, the true magnitude of their operations only became fully appreciated when the war was over. |
Band of Brothers by Gerald Coulson. Depicting an Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, the backbone of the Royal Air Force during World War Two. |
Synchro by Gerald Coulson. The Red Arrows. Published in 1988 and signed by all 9 pilots of that season. |
Troubleshooters by Gerald Coulson. Sold out at publisher. We have the last 120 remaining prints. |
Outbound Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. An all time classic image of the Lancaster bomber of Bomber command at altitude crossing the coast on its way to another bombing mission in Europe. In this atmospheric classic image, Gerald Coulson has shown this stalwart of the Royal Air Forces Bomber Command during the second world war. A superb partner painting to the other classic Gerald Coulson image, Off Duty Lancaster. |
A Moment of Triumph by Gerald Coulson. On the afternoon of Sunday, 13th September 1931, Flt. Lt J N Bootham, RAF, in a Southampton-built S6B seaplane, tore through the skies over the Solent to average 340.08mph round a 217-mile course. This fly-over was sufficient for Great Britain to gain the Schneider Trophy outright since it meant that the event had been won on three consecutive occasions. That it nearly didn't happen is part of the history of British Aviation, only timely sponsorship saving the whole Supermarine programme. So ended an era in aviation history which, with hindsight, proved so important for the free world as it was from this remarkably-advanced design of airframe and engine that R J Mitchells most famous aircraft of all time, the Spitfire, was developed. Without the advances brought on by the development of the Supermarine racing seaplanes, it is doubtful that the technology required for the Spitfire would have been so readily available. The Merlin and Griffon engines from Rolls Royce were also part of this programme. These were to be the mainstay of the British Aircraft Industry during World War II and become a legend in their own right. A replica of the aircraft which went on to set world air speed records can be seen in the Southampton Hall of Aviation, together with the legendary Spitfire. The Schneider Trophy was won outright by Great Britain on September 13th 1931. Flight Lieutenant J N Boothman flying S6B S1595, completed the seven laps at an average speed of 340.08mph. Fg Off Leonard Snaith and Flt Lt Freddy Long were the first and second reserve pilots of the 1931 GB Schneider Trophy team, behind J N Boothman. |
End of an Era by Gerald Coulson. Entering service in 1951, the Shackleton has been seen worldwide performing anti-submarine and search and rescue duties prior to the installation of the radar necessary for the airborne early warning role in 1972 wit No.8 squadron. Phased out during 1991, and superseded by the Boeing E-3 Sentries, only six remain and are still with No.8 Squadron based at Lossiemouth. They are occasionally called upon to assist for search and rescue sorties and the dubious honour of operating in the conditions depicted. After forty years of sterling service the Shackleton deserves a tribute. |
Low Level Encounter by Gerald Coulson. A Spitfire and an Me109 locked in battle pass a downed He111 low over the English countryside. |
Brief Encounter by Gerald Coulson. Royal Flying Corps SE5As of 56 squadron engaged in air combat with flying circus Fokker Dr1s commanded by the great German ace Baron von Richthofen, France 1917. |
Jet Legend by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item |
Chariots of Fire by Gerald Coulson. Chariots of Fire depicts Spitfires of 610 squadron (County of Chester) engaging Messerschmitts 190E of the Luftwaffe over the South Coast of England, August 1940. |
A Special Breed by Gerald Coulson. Tiger Moth G-AOEI owned by Cambridge Flying Group over the Cambridge countryside. |
To Sink the Bismarck by Gerald Coulson. It is 7.15pm on 25th May 1941. The place, North Atlantic. The mission to find and sink the massive German warship Bismarck. The weather was very bad and worsening noticeably with storm force winds, rain squalls and increasingly heavy seas. With seemingly impossible flying conditions, Ark Royal launched its second strike of the day of fifteen swordfish, four each from 810 and 818 squadrons and seven from 820 squadron. Coming under intense fire the pilots came in very low and close and dropped their torpedo on the target. Eventually the Bismarck's fate was sealed by the guns of the Home Fleet. |
Winter Ops by Gerald Coulson. Up to 1942 Bomber Command operations were beset by many problems. The means they had to accurately pinpoint the target and assault it were totally lacking, in fact their Commander in Chief, Air Marshall Arthur Harris later wrote : It was glaringly obvious that the average crew in average weather could not find their way to the target. Between February and August 1942 an effort was made to rectify this through the development of a specialised target finding and target marking force, which became known as the Pathfinders. Activated on August 15 this new group was formed under the leadership of their AOC Air Commodore Don Bennett, himself a very experienced pre war pilot with exceptional navigational skills. The aircrews of No. 8 (PFF) Group were tasked with marking out the designated targets but the formation of this group was initially opposed by Harris. He felt that the ranks of his Main Force could be weakened if a high number of experienced and highly skilled crews were taken by this specialist unit, leading to a lessening of skills within the other bomber groups. He agreed however for an alternative scheme whereby complete units were assigned to the Pathfinder Force and the stage was then set for what was to become the Main Offensive of Bomber Command. The first four Squadrons - Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons) - were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. In the absence of any specialist Target Markers the crews were initially forced to operate using standard flares and the early raids produced variable results, with cloud cover often proving the main obstacle in accurate marking. However during the winter of 1942 the introduction of the ground guided marking system, OBOE, marked a quantum leap in accurate target marking and by mid 1943 Pathfinder techniques had been developed for all forms of weather conditions, including nights when complete overcast existed.Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment such as H2S to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. This third and final painting in Gerald Coulsons Tribute to Bomber Command depicts Lancaster Bombers of No.8 (PFF) Group returning late after a gruelling operation over Berlin. It is Christmas 1943 and the winter landscape reflects the early morning sunrise as the weary crews approach the safety of their Cambridgeshire base. |
Spitfire Magic by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item |
Overdue by Gerald Coulson. The Vickers-Armstrong Wellington entered service life in the RAF in 1938 as a medium bomber. As the mainstay of the Bomber Command, it bore the initial brunt of the RAFs night offensive during 1940. Without the benefit of sophisticated navigation aids, the bomber crews had difficulty locating and hitting targets and also contending with rapidly improving German defences. The picture depicts an incident at sunrise on the morning of 26th July 1940. A Wellington 1c of 99 Squadron, based at Newmarket Heath, returns from a raid over Dortmund. An engine fails over the North Sea and the aircraft, captained by Squadron Leader Sarll, struggled almost to its home base and crashed just south of Cambridge. The crew survived. |
Top Cover by Gerald Coulson. Big Brothers and Little Friends : the enduring bond between the bomber crews and fighter pilots of the USAAF Eighth Air Force in their prolonged and hotly contested air war against Hitlers Nazi Germany, 1942-1945. |
|
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
