My dad’s first cousin Charlie worked on P-38s during World War 2. He had been a tail gunner on a B-26 (a plane not-so-affectionately known as a widow maker) but managed to transfer to a ground job. It probably saved his life. He was stationed on Okinawa until the end of the war. Anyway, the P-38 was one of Kelly Johnson’s most beautiful planes (along with the U-2, the SR-71 and the Super Constellation airliner). I painted it today flying low over a field in France. We always think of World War 2 as black and white — but I wanted to play around with the bright colors of the French countryside with the wheat flowing in the wind and flowers in bloom.
Oh, and there is a purpose behind all of these airplanes. I promise.
