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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists Aviation Artists More Artists Taylor, Richard

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Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor. 4 of 7 editions available. 3 of 6 editions featuring up to 8 additional signatures are available. £2.00 - £1095.00

A Welcome Sight by Richard Taylor. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £55.00 - £625.00

Quiet Reflection by Richard Taylor. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £95.00 - £125.00

Return From the Fray by Richard Taylor. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £110.00 - £175.00

Action This Day by Richard Taylor. 6 of 7 editions available. 5 of 6 editions featuring up to 13 additional signatures are available. £2.00 - £1095.00

Dual Victory by Richard Taylor. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £95.00 - £150.00

Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 6 additional signatures. £200.00 - £625.00

Fields of Glory by Richard Taylor. One of 2 editions available. Both editions feature 3 additional signatures. £85.00

Deadly Pursuit by Richard Taylor. One edition. £65.00

Dawn Strike by Richard Taylor. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature an additional signature. £80.00 - £625.00

Dawn Till Dusk by Richard Taylor. 2 of 5 editions available. All 5 editions feature up to 11 additional signatures. £110.00 - £275.00

Final Descent by Richard Taylor. One edition. The edition features 2 additional signature(s). £60.00

Masters of the Sky by Richard Taylor. 6 editions. All 6 editions feature up to 12 additional signature(s). £110.00 - £625.00

The Royce Raid by Richard Taylor. 2 editions. Both editions feature an additional signature. £95.00 - £135.00

Coastal Patrol by Richard Taylor. One of 2 editions available. Both editions feature 3 additional signatures. £150.00

Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £95.00 - £395.00

The Sleeping Giant Awakes by Richard Taylor. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s). £110.00 - £395.00

Thunder in the East by Richard Taylor. 3 editions. 2 of the 3 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.00 - £195.00

Wounded Warrior by Richard Taylor. 5 editions. 4 of the 5 editions feature up to 12 additional signatures. £2.00 - £1065.00

Out of the Dragon's Den by Richard Taylor. 6 editions. All 6 editions feature up to 9 additional signature(s). £115.00 - £1125.00

Tropical Duties by Richard Taylor. 4 of 5 editions available. 3 of 4 editions featuring up to 3 additional signatures are available. £2.00 - £395.00

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Text for the above items :

Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor. On 7 August 1942, just eight months after the dramatic events at Pearl Harbor, the United States First Marine Division stormed ashore on the island of Guadalcanal. It was the opening gambit of the land war in the Pacific. The painting depicts Captain Joe Foss as he leads the F4F Wildcats of VMF-121 back to Henderson Field after a day of desperate fighting against the Japanese in the skies over the steaming jungles of Guadalcanal in November 1942 - it would be another three months before the island was finally secured during which time Joe Foss would achieve an astonishing 26 victories to become the first American pilot to equal WW1 Ace Eddie Rickenbackers score.

A Welcome Sight by Richard Taylor. A peaceful corner of eastern England is temporarily awakened from its summer slumbers by the thunder of Merlin engines, the familiar roar announcing the safe return of a squadron of Lancasters from their latest operation. With wheels already down, the pilots throttle back the huge engines as the heavies make their final approach to the airfield nearby. Below them quiet will soon return to the countryside and on base, after debrief, the weary bomber crews will take a well-earned rest. They don't expect it to last long - they could be flying again tonight.

Quiet Reflection by Richard Taylor. June 1940 and the freedom of Britain lay in the hands of a small band of young RAF fighter pilots. Facing them across the Channel, the all-conquering Luftwaffe stood in eager anticipation of an easy victory, one that would allow were Hitler's mighty armies to invade. So heavily were the odds stacked against the RAF, few gave Fighter Command a chance. The American ambassador to Britain reported that democracy is finished in England. He was wrong. Although outnumbered more than five to one at the outset, as the savage aerial battles raged continuously over southern England, the courage and dedication of Fighter Command's young airmen gradually turned the tide. By the end of September the battle was won and, for the first time, the Luftwaffe had tasted defeat. Richard Taylor's outstanding composition portrays a more reflective image of those heroic RAF fighter pilots in contrast perhaps to the deadly trials they faced on a daily basis. Just occasionally during that long hot summer of 1940 were rare moments of peaceful respite. Every minute off-duty was time to be savoured, especially for this particular young fighter pilot and his girl as they briefly pause along a quiet country lane to watch the Spitfires from 92 Squadron pass low overhead. For a few moments the distinctive roar of Merlin engines shatters the peace and they both know that this time tomorrow it will be him who will be flying into combat.

Return From the Fray by Richard Taylor. They came from every corner of Britain. And mostly they were young. These fresh faced fighter pilots, joined by an ever-growing band of volunteer airmen from the British Commonwealth and those who had managed to escape from the occupied countries of Europe would, over the summer of 1940, not only hold the world's most powerful air force at bay, they would defeat it. Richard Taylor's stunning piece graphically conveys the conflicting realities of those deadly aerial encounters over southern England during 1940. As the sound of Merlin engines briefly interrupts the tranquility of a sleepy English village, its residents are determined to carry on with everyday life. In the skies overhead the bitter battle will shortly be reaching its crescendo but, for today at least, the fighting is over as Flight Sergeant George 'Grumpy' Unwin, one of the Battle of Britain's top Aces, and the Spitfire pilots of 19 Squadron return from yet another encounter with Goering's much-vaunted Luftwaffe.

Action This Day by Richard Taylor. A cold winters morning, as dawn breaks over RAF Lissett, revealing that last nights biting wind has once again brought a covering of snow to the airfield. But, with conditions forecast to improve, tonights operation to bomb industrial targets in Germany is set to proceed, and ground crew start to prepare Halifax Mk3 LV907 F-Freddy, simply known as Friday 13th, for action. This iconic aircraft flew an impressive total of 128 operational sorties with 158 Squadron between March 1944 and April 1945.

Dual Victory by Richard Taylor. A spectacular dogfight over Eisenach on 24 March 1945 when the doughty Clyde East, returning from a recce over Schweinfurt and with photos already in the can, takes on a group of six Me109s. Flying his legendary Lil Margaret, having already dispatched one, he peels round to line up his second Me109 to add two more victories to his remarkable tally.

Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. With the words of his Group CO ringing in his ears, a pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group returns to protect a crippled American B17 bomber after downing two Me109s in quick succession. Agonisingly, two more enemy fighters were left to escape but the pilot knew that under the strict leadership of Colonel Benjamin O Davis, his mission, and that if the other all-black pilots of the 332nd, was solely to protect the bombers. That iron discipline was to earn this famous unit the respect and admiration of hundreds of bomber crews, and to create a legend. Despite lingering racial prejudice and some opposition within the Air Force, President Roosevelt had ordered the USAAF to form an all-black fighter pilot unit, its crews to be trained at Tuskegee in Alabama. To the surprise of their critics, the Tuskegee Airmen were to prove their detractors spectacularly wrong from the first day they went into action in Italy in May 1943. Flying first with the Twelfth Air Force, then the Fifteenth, the four squadrons of the 332nd completed over 15,000 combat sorties, destroyed over 250 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and on the ground, 950 railway trucks and locomotives, and even sunk a destroyer by machine gun fire! The Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, their pilots decorated with over 1000 medals for gallantry. But above all, with the spinners and tails of their P-51 Mustangs brightly painted red, the Red Tails as they were affectionately known, became the only US Fighter Group that never lost a bomber in their care. The Tuskegee Red Tail pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group are a more than welcome sight as they close in to escort home a damaged B17 Fortress of the 483rd Bomb Group. Seen high over the Italian Alps during the summer of 1944 this poignant scene conveys precisely the story of the legendary Red Tails.

Fields of Glory by Richard Taylor. September 1940 and they came in their hundreds, the black crosses under their wings clearly visible to those on the ground who listened in silence as the menacing drone of a thousand engines filled the clear blue summer sky. As Goering's Luftwaffe attempted to deal the killer blow to British defences, huge formations of Heinkel, Dornier and Junker bombers lumbered over sleepy English fields towards London. Surrounding them were their escorts, the formidable Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters. Diving our of the sun, 11 Group's fighter squadrons pounced, with the Spitfires going for the Bf109s while the Hurricanes fell on the slower moving bombers. Looking up on the swirling melee above, onlookers below could only watch in awe as the sky was filled with criss-cross patterns of creamy white vapour and spiralling trails of ominous, darker smoke. A parachute here and there caught the eye as the white silk drifted slowly down to the fields below. Hugely outnumbered, the men of RAF Fighter Command were supported by volunteer airmen from fifteen nations, and as more squadrons joined the fray the battle raged towards the capital until the Bf109s turned for home. The Few were finally turning the tide of the Battle of Britain.

Deadly Pursuit by Richard Taylor. During the final days of aerial combat P-51 Mustangs on a long range fighter patrol jump Bf109s in a surprise attack resulting in a deadly pursuit through the Austrian Alps.

Dawn Strike by Richard Taylor. As the first rays of daylight spread their golden glow over the vast expanse of sky above the Russian Front, the menacing roar of heavily armed Bf110s of 6./ZGI shake the cold air around them as they prepare for a dawn strike against enemy ground targets deep inside Russian territory. Above them, their Me109 escorts, alert for danger, constantly scan the distant skies for any enemy intruders that may be on the prowl and waiting for them. It is high summer, 1942. On the ground the German summer offensive towards the Caucasus is now in full swing, and General Paulus with the 6th Army has begun the long advance that will eventually lead it to the gates of Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe is at full stretch, it too has a major part to play against stiffening Russian resistance.

Dawn Till Dusk by Richard Taylor. Fighter Ace Johnnie Johnson leads MkIX Spitfires of his No.144 Canadian Wing back to their base at Ford after a long day of operations over Normandy shortly after D-Day. The wing flew constant fighter sweeps throughout the Normandy Invasions, before relocating to France on June 15th 1944.

Final Descent by Richard Taylor. Horsa gliders, laden with troops as they land in occupied France during Operation Overlord - the Allied invasion of Europe.

Masters of the Sky by Richard Taylor. They were an extraordinary group of men who flew their distinctive blue-nosed P-51 Mustangs fearlessly in the savage skies over war-torn Europe. They were the pilots of the 352nd Fighter Group - Masters of the Sky. The three squadrons of P-51 Mustangs that made up the 352nd Fighter Group contained a remarkable collection of fearless young aviators who, amongst other things, provided more Aces in a Day than any other P-51 Group in any theatre. These were pilots such as George Preddy - the highest scoring P-51 Mustang Ace in the Eighth Air Force - who downed 6 Me109s in a single day, and Don Bryan with 5 victories in a day. No less than twenty nine of the USAAF's top aerial Aces in Europe were also from the 352nd, and twelve 352nd pilots scored aerial victories over the revolutionary German jet fighters. To commemorate the men who flew with the 352nd Fighter Group during World War II, Richard Taylor has created his magnificent painting, Masters of the Sky. Led by their Commanding Officer Major George Preddy, the P-51 Mustang pilots of the 328th Fighter Squadron engage in a bitter struggle with Luftwaffe fighters in the cold winter air high over eastern Germany. They have been escorting B-17 Fortresses attacking the heavily defended synthetic oil plant at Merseberg, November 1944. As the B-17s turn safely towards home above them, Preddy skilfully manages to down one of the attacking Fw190s in the ensuing melee.

The Royce Raid by Richard Taylor. In early April 1942, under the command of General Ralph Royce, and almost a week before the Doolittle raid - seven B-25C Mitchells and three B-17 Fortresses of the 5th Air Force, lifted off from their base in Australia and headed for the staging field at Del Monte on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines. The painting shows one of 5th Air Force B-25C Mitchell taking off from the Del Monte on Sunday 12 April 1942, en-route to hit the harbor and shipping targets at Cebu. In the three days of Royces raids, the Mitchells flew over twenty sorties, sinking and seriously damaging three Japanese transport ships, and shooting down three enemy fighters. In a triumph of surprise aerial strikes, all seven B-25s and their crews returned safely to base.

Coastal Patrol by Richard Taylor. Mk I Spitfires of 610 Squadron flying a defensive patrol low over the White Cliffs during the height of the Battle of Britain in August 1940. A superb painting that symbolises a crucial period in history.

Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor. Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group when they arrived in England with their P-47B Thunderbolts in 1943. The objective of the American fighter units was to gain air superiority over the Luftwaffe in support of their daylight bombing campaign. By 1944 they achieved their objective. Richard Taylor commemorates the valiant contribution of the 78th Fighter Group with a fine new rendition showing P-47D Thunderbolts departing Duxford en route for the north coast of France, and a low-level strafing mission. It is the spring of 1944, and with the Normandy invasion just days away, the Thunderbolts are already painted with invasion markings.

The Sleeping Giant Awakes by Richard Taylor. Pearl Harbor - Monday December 8th, 1941. On Sunday December 7th, 1941, the free world had been stunned into disbelief by the treacherous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Giving no formal declaration of war, the devastating Japanese assault on the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet had left over two thousand American servicemen dead, most of her battleships destroyed or damaged, and the remains of nearly 200 American aircraft lay in tatters. America reeled from the shock and sheer incredulity. But for Admiral Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the success of victory left a bitter taste. The main targets of his carefully orchestrated plan had been the US carriers but, as fate would have it, they were all at sea. Yamamoto knew in his heart that he would have to face those carriers one day, and when he did they would be the platform upon which America would unleash the brunt of her power against him. At 12.30 the following day President Roosevelt began his address to Congress, calling for the declaration of war on Japan. By 4.10pm America was formally at war, and five thousand miles away the first of the carriers, USS Enterprise, was returning to Pearl Harbor. Richard Taylor's painting depicts the Enterprise as she approaches Ford Island and the smoldering ruins that had been the Pacific Fleet. As ships still burn and the thick smoke hangs in the air, ever alert F4F-3A Wildcats of VF-6 fly an overhead patrol. Throughout the night the carrier will refuel and re-arm, and at dawn she will return to sea with a steel resolve and a new mission, to avenge Pearl Harbor. The Japanese failure to destroy the US carriers was a fateful mistake and, six months later, the Enterprise finally got her chance at the Battle of Midway, as the US carriers delivered one of the most decisive victories in the history of naval warfare, paving the way for victory in the Pacific.

Thunder in the East by Richard Taylor. In Europe the tide of war was changing. The Allied invasion of Normandy had thrown the Germans back and the push to Berlin had begun, but in the Far East another invasion had taken place - this time by the Japanese. The fighter pilots of the RAF had become masters of the sky over Burma and after weeks of bitter fighting, air superiority was complete. The Japanese invasion had run out of steam and slowly, but inexorably, the Allies drove them back, fighting through the rains and floods in arduous conditions, strafing supply dumps and airfields, and divebombing enemy concentrations in unequalled precision strikes. One such strike was the operation to secure the Japanese-held Mingaladon Aerodrome near Rangoon on 20 October 1944, when a composite air force, made up of P-47 Thunderbolts from 261 and 146 Squadrons, carried out a low level attack on the vital Japanese stronghold. Richard Taylor's fabulous new painting, Thunder in the East, expertly captures all the fury of this bitter engagement. After completing his bombing attack Warrant Officer Thomas 'Lucky' Carter flying his distinctive P-47 'Pistol Packin' Mamma', engages Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars and Ki-44 Tojo's along with other Thunderbolts of the unit. In commemoration of the men who flew and fought in Burma, joining artist Richard Taylor in signing the whole edition are three RAF veterans that fought in the campaign, two that flew Thunderbolts in Burma and one of the vital ground crew that prepared the P-47s for this actual mission. A fitting tribute to all those that fought in the 'Forgotten War'.

Wounded Warrior by Richard Taylor. Like many other missions they had undertaken in the summer of 1944, this one had been particularly cold, tough and dangerous for pilot Harry Seip and the crew of B17G Silver Meteor. The First Lieutenant and his men had set out on that morning, 11th July 1944, from a peaceful Framlingham, on another arduous mission to Munich. With their bomb load dropped the crew headed for home, but the battle-scarred Fortress had been hit more than once, leaving the inner port engine shot out and Silver Meteor had steadily dropped behind the fast-disappearing bomber stream. Things were not looking good for Harry and his crew as the Luftwaffe fighters circled like sharks, closing in for an easy kill. Luckily the enemy pilots were not the only ones that had spotted the ailing Fortress. The P-51s of two of the best Aces in the Eighth Air Force - Bud Anderson and Kit Carson - had also seen the danger and came tearing out of the blue sky into the action. Within minutes the German pilots had fled and the crew of Silver Meteor could breathe a sigh of relief. With these two legendary Aces guiding them home, Harry and his men would survive to fight another day. Harry Seip is now the last surviving member of the crew of Silver Meteor. This remarkable event has lived vividly in his memory since the war and he has always been thankful to Bud Anderson for saving his life and those of his men. Unfortunately, these two outstanding heroes have never been able to meet, but thanks to this new edition both can finally come together to add authenticity to this remarkable story by personally signing this poignant edition.

Out of the Dragon's Den by Richard Taylor. It was the morning of Monday, 18 April 1942 and, taking a final look at the carrier rapidly disappearing into the distance, the B25 Mitchells headed west on what each of the five man crews knew was a one-way ride. With luck they might make it to Nationalist China but first they had an important mission to complete - destination Tokyo! Four months earlier the Japanese had launched their blistering unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor leaving America reeling. As setback followed setback, America needed retribution and the man chosen for the task was Lt Col James Doolittle. Planning one of the most audacious raids ever undertaken, Doolittle and his chosen band of raiders would attempt the impossible - a direct strike at the heart of Imperial Japan. It was what the enemy least expected. Richard Taylor's powerful painting Out of the Dragon's Den depicts the scene immediately after the Raiders had carried out their mission. One of the last B-25 Mitchells, having successfully bombed its target, makes its escape towards mainland China. As the navigator sets the new course, their path takes them close to targets hit by other Raiders, dark columns of smoke rising rapidly from the burning oil and carnage below. Issued with a copy of Richards pencil print, USS Hornet, every one of these historic two print portfolios is personally signed by Doolittle Raiders and a crew member of the USS Hornet during the raid. This could be one of the final opportunities to acquire a limited edition signed by the last surviving veterans of the legendary Doolittle Raiders.

Tropical Duties by Richard Taylor. On Wednesday 22nd June 1938 a new sound was heard over the humid streets of Singapore as four Bristol Pegasus radial engines heralded the arrival of the RAF's newest flying-boat. For the men of 230 Squadron gathering on the slipway at Seletar, the approaching aircraft looked formidable and even from a distance, they could spot the powerful array of .303 machine guns it possessed. 230 Squadron had been chosen as one of the first units to be re-equipped with the world's most advanced flying boat - the Short Sunderland. Richard Taylor's painting is a tribute to the outstanding Sunderland and the men who flew it in the Far East. As the sun beats down on tropical island anchorage a Mk III Sunderland from 230 Squadron unloads essential supplies at a forward base on an archipelago deep in the Indian Ocean. A second aircraft, breaking a patrol, prepares to land.