The Ship Model Forum

Hi all,

I found your forum while in search of info about Paul Lengelle's ship paintings. I have a large watercolor named "Ernest S", which looks like the Shackleton ship minus the steam tower. I hesitate to hang it - it surely belongs in a museum; however, the Air Force museum in France did not reply, and the web site indicates that they have many of his paintings. An online art appraisal was $1500, and a large auction house in Europe said to mail it to them for sale. Another hesitation - it costs $500 to mail it, and once when I sent a valuable find for auction, my naivete in not setting a minimum allowed the dealer (highly recommended) to turn it over at a very high profit to himself. There may be other loopholes.

Is there a Lengelle gallery or following in the US? It's a beautiful work, and I could never afford to buy one of these, so it's tempting to keep it. However, perhaps it should be maintained by a museum instead.

Thank you,
Linda

Hi, I wrote the 50th anniversary history of Airfix (Harper Collins 199) and know Roy Cross well. he apinted most of Airfix's box tops between 1965 and 1975. Today, he does indeed concentrate on maritime art.

Geoff Hunt, another well known maritime artist also painted nautical box art for Airfix. A personal favourite of mine is his painting of the Vosper RAF rescue launch.

I've quite a lot of Airfix box art on my collectors community http://www.collectingfriends.com

Thomas G. Webb.

Norman Wilkinson. I have a reproduction of one of his Standard Ship dazzle designs from WW1 hanging on the wall above this computer.

I really like some of the watercolors that were shown as "sold" in the Maritime Prints site! A.B Cull did some great work! I have an original watercolor of the HMS Vanguard in harbor, done by Frank Wood in 1911, and a goauche/watercolor of the USS Tatnall, a 4 stacker, done by Worden Wood, a U.S. illustration artist. My favorite contemporary marine artist is Paul Bender, who does a lot of the profiles seen in present-day publications.

My true heroes are the guys who painted the 60s to 70s boxarts (and some recent ones as well). Those artworks were the No.1 reason for me to buy model ships and other kits, despite the (aforementioned) fact that the kits inside could rarely compete with the boxart.

That would be Roy Cross who did almost the entire line of Airfix boxes, be it ships, planes, cars or trains. As far as I know, he is devoted to marine paintings nowadays.

Paul Lengell� did most of the Heller ships (and planes etc.) up to the late 70s, while others were done by the acclaimed marine artist Roger Chapelet. Almost all of their works ranged from outstanding to dramatic.

Not to forget Jack Leynnwood who did most Revell "boxwraps" of those decades. He and John Steel painted some of the most memorable ship illustrations for Revell, but also for Monogram and Lindberg.

IMO the most recognizable Japanese boxart artist is Yoshiyuki Takani. Most of Tamiyas 1/350 ship illustrations are his work (as are nearly all of their 1/35 tank kit boxes), as well as the recent Trumpeter Bismarck, most of the new PitRoad 700 kits, the upcoming Fujimi Kongo, the venerable old Nichimo Yamato as well as their entire line of 1/500 ships and many more. He must have been in business forever since even early 70s kits feature his somewhat rough, powerful style of painting. His ships are as good and convincing as are his tanks, planes and even robots. I wonder how many artworks he has created so far - must be thousands.

Last but not least, Hasegawas (and Japans) No.1 Aircraft artist, Shigeo Koike, has expanded his talent to marine subjects: He has done all of the outstanding boxart of the new Hasegawa 1/350 kits (Soya, Mikasa, Yukikaze, Nagato).

Those guys are so versatile, quick and professional and are really outstanding compared to the usual unexciting boxart dullness (with some exceptions thankfully) of recent years.

My favourite 4 in no particular order.
Geoff Hunt (sail)
Takeshi Yuki (IJN)
Robert Taylor (WW2)
Tom Freeman (WW2)

Arne Zuidhoek.

Edger Hodges and Ted Walker . Both I can call friends but two of the finest marine artists alive today.
Dave Wooley

That's a tough one but I'd have to say Norman Wilkinson, Everett Longley Warner, Gerome Brush and Phillip Little. I'm pretty sure you won't find their coolest work online.

Ian Marshall

http://www.amazon.com/Armored-Ships-Set ... 908&sr=1-3

We have a painting of HMS Eskimo by Montague Dawson hanging on the wall in one of the conference rooms at work. Every time I see it I get fantasies about how wonderful it would look on the wall in my living room...

This is a shamful plug for my father's set-up, but there are prints on show which are worth looking at- if nothing else.

http://www.maritimeprints.com


Max

I love Tamiya's box art but I don't know who painted them.

JSJH wrote:Many of us have likely a bit or two of two-dimensional art at home. Who's your fave artist / piece?

Almost 2 decades ago, 'was thrilled to land a Robert Taylor print of, "Hornblower And The Atropos," wherein recently-posted Captain Horatio Hornblower is being taken to his new command in a small boat. The 22-gun sloop is anchored on the Thames, with masts erected and yards crossed.

'Still love it!
:surfer:

geoff hunt (seaflower)
tom freeman (the final bomb)
ken marschall (he does all the wreck prints for ballard's books)
kieth ferris (china clipper taking off from hong kong) hey it floats
montague dawson (crescent moon)

My favourite marine artists:

first equals:

Robert Taylor
Geoff Hunt, PRSMA
Claus Bergen
Ivan Aivazozskii (apparently he painted entirely from memory... wow)
Will L Wyllie
Winslow Homer (the sea, rather than strictly military, but still marine)
Kenneth Grant (simply stunning - a friend of mine has a great collection of his originals)

And the others who stand out:

Charles Turner
Ian Marschal
Anthony Saunders
Keith Snow
Harley Crossley
Mike Donegan

Just off the top of my head... there are many more.

As for my favourite individual pieces:

(In no particular order)

Claus Bergen's Prinz Eugen engaging HMS Hood and Prince of Wales, May 24th 1941.

Claus Bergen's Commander

Kenneth Grant's HMS Guierre and USS Constitution dueling (his later version with correct tacks and sail reef points )

Robert Taylor's Bismarck, May 24th 1941

Robert Taylor's HMS Ark Royal Swordfish strike launch

Geoff Hunt's Nelsonian and Patrick O'Brien paintings... all of them See, what I just can't get over, is how he can paint so vividly, as if he was there, shaking out sails from the main ta'gallant of one of Jervis's third raters, seeing the things he saw and capturing them on canvas... when in fact he was not... To me, the level of imagination required for this is just something else. It phases me.

Again, there are probably more. I just happen to be writing in a stale state of mind, again.

And Monty thank you for your support... I hope that one day, with some luck I might actually live up to your compliment; see, I am only at the beginning of my time as a marine painter, and all of the aforementioned artists will completely blow me out of the water right now.

Cheers,

Joseph

Even at an early age when I started build those Aurora, Revell, Airfix and Lindberg ship models, I never once failed to realize that the crap inside the box never matched the artwork outside. Understandably, the models are all gone but, I still have all of the beautiful boxart. Although I can look it up, I don't remember any of these artists, they kept my small purchases from being a total loss. Thankfully, the nightmarish memories of those kits have gone as well

As far as marine artists (boxtop or not) go nowadays, it'll be difficult to top Joseph Reindler, Mike Donegan and those Tamiya guys. Maybe the boxtop artists should have final say on what they're advertising. Of course I understand why that isn't so.

It has to be Geoff Hunt, my favourite painting of his is the bookcover illustration from the book, The Guns off Cape Ann by Kennith Pullman.

I have never seen this painting for sale, only the pencil drawing in Geoff's book.

Ted in DC wrote: ...Geoff Hunt...

The contraints in designing book covers (particularly for the Aubrey/Maturin novels) has led to some wonderful works by this painter.

His cover for the Ionian Mission is one of my all-time favourite sea paintings.

Andy

In one, Edgar Hodges, his ships at sea are great, saw 2 new ones last week.