Spitfire
paintings and Aviation artwork
by aviation artist Stan Stokes. Aviation art prints collection by Stan
Stokes available from Cranston Fine Arts, the aviation and naval art print
company, at these great prices. The full range of Stan Stokes
Collection art prints, which include aviation and naval signed limited
editions, newly added to the Cranston Fine Arts range, are now available.
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| Battle of Britain by Stan Stokes. The Battle of Britain in 1940 was the biggest air battle ever fought in the history of armed conflict. After the fall of France Hitler hoped to sign a peace treaty with Britain allowing the Germans to dominate Europe, and ultimately attack Russia in the East. Being rebuffed by the British, Hitler and his senior military advisors formulated Operation Sea Lion. This was to involve an invasion of Britain after the Luftwaffe had attained total domination over the RAF. As plans evolved for knocking out the RAF, the Germans began assembling a large number of airfields in Holland, France, and Belgium to be used for the attack. In their arsenal the Germans had more than 800 medium range bombers including the Heinkel He-111, the Junker Ju-88, and the Dornier Do-17. They also had more than 200 Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, and more than 900 Bf-109 and Bf-110 fighters to escort their attacking forces. The British had far less than 1000 defensive aircraft at their disposal with Hawker Hurricanes outnumbering Supermarine Spitfires about 2-to-1. Despite the Germans numerical superiority the British had at least five advantages in this epic Battle. First, radar allowed the Brits to determine where to target its fighter defenses. Second, when British aircraft were downed many of the pilots were recovered and returned to flight duty. When German aircraft were downed the pilots became British POWs. Third, the BF-109, Germanys best fighter, had limited range, and generally could spend only about twenty minutes over British soil before having to return to Europe. Fourth, the British dispersed their defensive forces widely into many small groups, eliminating the ability of the Luftwaffe to deliver a knockout punch on the ground. Fifth, the RAF pilots were surprisingly well trained, and while few in number were supplemented with volunteers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, and the United States. Also important was the tenacity of the RAF support staff that kept an amazing amount of the aircraft in the air. The man most responsible for the British victory was Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, head of Fighter Command. In the first phase of the Battle the Luftwaffe focused its efforts on knocking out RAF airfields. The RAF lost 50 fighters in the first 10-days. This resulted in modified tactics permitting looser formation flying similar to that employed by the Germans. The Germans suffered too with the Bf-110 and Ju-87 proving particularly vulnerable. In August Hitler authorized a massive attack called Eagle Day that was designed to obliterate the RAF by attacking coastal radar stations. Again the German effort fell far short and later in August the Germans had one of their worst days losing 75 aircraft on Black Thursday. In late August the German tactics changed again with the focus now on destroying RAF fighters in the air. In a two-week period ending on September 6, the RAF lost 466 fighter aircraft, taking the Germans to their closest point of victory during the Battle. The turning point in the Battle is generally acknowledged to be September 7 when the Germans shifted focus to general attacks on London. This gave the RAF a breather, and on September 15 they took down 60 Luftwaffe aircraft. The losses on the 15th convinced the Germans that their strategy had failed and they slowly retrenched their attacks. September 15 is celebrated in Britain as Battle of Britain Day. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £40.00
 Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00
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ITEM CODE STK0141 |
| Canadian Heroes by Stan Stokes. James Edgar (Johnnie) Johnson was the Royal Air Forces top fighter ace in Europe with 38 confirmed victories during the War. Johnson was called up in 1939 following his training with the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Having been hospitalized for much of the Battle of Britain, Johnsons first serious action was in mid-1941 when he often flew with Douglas Baders section. Johnson was promoted quickly and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross following his fifth victory in 1941. In early 1943 Johnson was put in command of a wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Flying the high-performance Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX, Johnson achieved 18 victories in seven months of flying. Many of Johnsons victories were achieved against the Messersmitt Bf-109. Promoted to Group Captain in early 1945, Johnson was put in command of the 125 Wing for the duration of the War. The Supermarine Spitfire is the only Allied fighter to have been continuously produced from before 1939 to after 1945. In total more than 22,000 of these splendid aircraft were built. The chief designer of the Spitfire was R.J. Mitchell, a brilliant engineer who joined the Supermarine company in 1916, and by 1920 was its chief engineer. Mitchell fashioned a number of high performance maritime aircraft, culminating with the sleek S series of float planes. This is the float plane which ultimately won permanent possession of the coveted Schneider Trophy for Britain, and established a new world speed record in excess of 400 MPH in 1931. In that same year the Air Ministry issued a specification for a new high-performance day/night fighter. Mitchells design, the Type 224, lost out in the competition to the Gloster Gladiator biplane. In 1936 the new Rolls Royce Merlin engine was fitted to a prototype 224, and the Spitfire was born. Achieving a speed of 396 MPH, the RAF was impressed, and initial orders for the first Spitfires were placed. Sadly, R.J. Mitchell succumbed to cancer in 1937 at the age of only 42. With the onset of the War, Spitfire production soared, and the aircraft was steadily improved. The Mark IX, as depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Canadian Heroes, first entered service in July 1942. The Mark IX was identifiable because of its four-bladed prop and its twin radiators. Introduced partially in response to Germanys introduction of the Focke Wolfe FW 190, the Mark IX was produced in greater numbers (5,665) than any other particular Spitfire model. As depicted in Stokes painting Johnnie Johnson has just attained another victory over a Bf-109 while flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1944. The painting is dedicated to the many Canadians which served with the RAF during the War. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £40.00
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £135.00 Signed by Johnnie Johnson (deceased).
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0113 |
| Spitfire on the Prowl by Stan Stokes. One of most popular aircraft of WW II. Spitfire on the Prowl depicts the venerable Super-marine Spitfire flying over the needles. Limited edition of 950 prints. Print size 30 inches x 24 inches (76cm x 61cm). Price £80.00
Part of our Buy Two, Get a Third Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0140 |
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Stan
Stokes is a California native with more than 37 years as a full time
professional artist, who developed a passion for vintage cars, trains and
airplanes at an early age. Model building and RC planes filled the many
hours of the young enthusiast's free time. However, unlike most other
young aviation enthusiasts Stokes also displayed a great gift for artistic
talent. After studying art in College, Stan decided to pursue a career as
a professional artist. Stokes initially focused his great talents on
depicting uniquely realistic landscapes of the western desert and mountain
scenes. More than thirty years ago a good friend suggested that
Stan combine his passion for aviation history and flying with his artistic
talents, and render an aircraft or two. The rest is history.
Stan
has won many prestigious awards including the Benedictine Art Award
in 1975 and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's "Golden
Age of Flight" award in 1985. In May of 2000, Stan was honored with
the National Museum of Naval Aviation's "R. G. Smith Award for
Excellence in Naval Aviation Art. Commissioned
by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California,
Stan's 12 x 120 foot mural of the "History of the Flying White
House" is on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion.
In addition Stan's painting of the USS Ronald Reagan is hanging in the
Legacy Room of the library. In 2005 Stan also completed a painting of our
nation's next aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, which is on
permanent display at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in College
Station, Texas. Stan
has also completed several impressive murals for the Palm Springs Air
Museum including: "The Tuskegee Airmen" at 12 x 60 feet and
contains 51 portraits of the original Tuskegee Airmen. "Dauntless at
Midway" at 12 x 34 feet and "Corsair on Approach" at 19 x
55 feet. Stan's work also hangs in the Air Force art collection, the
Pentagon, San Diego Aerospace Museum, and the Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum in Washington DC. Stan
has had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of his boyhood
aviation heroes, including the late General Jimmy Doolittle, the lae Pappy
Boyington, Chuck Yeager, and many many others. A
true aviation history buff, Stan often spends more time pouring
over research materials for his paintings to assure their accuracy to
the smallest detail than he does behind the canvas. Noted for
his incredible detail and strikingly realistic illustration, Stans'
canvases have a life-like three-dimensional effect that often leaves
viewers spellbound. Today his work encompasses not only aviation and space
but also portraits, landscapes, ships, classic cars and his new collection
of cat-related fine art paintings. Stan particularly enjoys the tough
assignment. During his 37 years as a professional artist, he has been
asked to produce literally hundreds of paintings documenting historical
events, people and places.
Although
Stan has logged many hours flying his own airplanes, in recent years
pleasure flying has had to take a backseat to the artistic demands of his
backlog. Stan was commissioned to paint more than twenty original
paintings for an aviation museum being in the Philippines. Since the
mid-1980's NASA has also tapped Stan's talents from time to time and he
has completed more than fifteen paintings ranging from the space shuttles
to the SR 71 Blackbird. Stan has also painted numerous works for the
cutting edge genius in aviation and space design, Burt Rutan.
Spitfire on the Prowl by Stan Stokes.
One of most popular aircraft of WW
II. Spitfire on the Prowl depicts
the venerable Super-marine Spitfire flying over the needles.
Battle of Britain by Stan Stokes.
The
Battle of Britain in 1940 was the biggest air battle ever fought in the
history of armed conflict. After the fall of France Hitler hoped to sign
a peace treaty with Britain allowing the Germans to dominate Europe, and
ultimately attack Russia in the East. Being rebuffed by the British,
Hitler and his senior military advisors formulated Operation Sea Lion.
This was to involve an invasion of Britain after the Luftwaffe had
attained total domination over the RAF. As plans evolved for knocking
out the RAF, the Germans began assembling a large number of airfields in
Holland, France, and Belgium to be used for the attack. In their arsenal
the Germans had more than 800 medium range bombers including the Heinkel
He-111, the Junker Ju-88, and the Dornier Do-17. They also had more than
200 Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, and more than 900 Bf-109 and Bf-110
fighters to escort their attacking forces. The British had far less than
1000 defensive aircraft at their disposal with Hawker Hurricanes
outnumbering Supermarine Spitfires about 2-to-1. Despite the Germans
numerical superiority the British had at least five advantages in this
epic Battle. First, radar allowed the Brits to determine where to target
its fighter defenses. Second, when British aircraft were downed many of
the pilots were recovered and returned to flight duty. When German
aircraft were downed the pilots became British POWs. Third, the BF-109,
Germanys best fighter, had limited range, and generally could spend only
about twenty minutes over British soil before having to return to
Europe. Fourth, the British dispersed their defensive forces widely into
many small groups, eliminating the ability of the Luftwaffe to deliver a
knockout punch on the ground. Fifth, the RAF pilots were surprisingly
well trained, and while few in number were supplemented with volunteers
from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, and the
United States. Also important was the tenacity of the RAF support staff
that kept an amazing amount of the aircraft in the air. The man most
responsible for the British victory was Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding,
head of Fighter Command. In the first phase of the Battle the Luftwaffe
focused its efforts on knocking out RAF airfields. The RAF lost 50
fighters in the first 10-days. This resulted in modified tactics
permitting looser formation flying similar to that employed by the
Germans. The Germans suffered too with the Bf-110 and Ju-87 proving
particularly vulnerable. In August Hitler authorized a massive attack
called Eagle Day that was designed to obliterate the RAF by attacking
coastal radar stations. Again the German effort fell far short and later
in August the Germans had one of their worst days losing 75 aircraft on
Black Thursday. In late
August the German tactics changed again with the focus now on destroying
RAF fighters in the air. In a two-week period ending on September 6, the
RAF lost 466 fighter aircraft, taking the Germans to their closest point
of victory during the Battle. The turning point in the Battle is
generally acknowledged to be September 7 when the Germans shifted focus
to general attacks on London. This gave the RAF a breather, and on
September 15 they took down 60 Luftwaffe
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