ERNIE BOYETTE
Ernie was born to poor parents on a sweet potato farm in Green Cove Springs, Florida. The family raised chickens, rabbits and agriculural foods. The last of seven children, his father died when he was two years old. Growing up, Ernie always helped his mother and encouraged her in her self-taught wildlife painting. When she passed away in 1985, she left him her art supplies and some blank canvasses.
Bored with a job he disliked, he decided to figure out how to paint one night in 1986. He pulled out his mom's "art stuff" and started. Never having an art lesson in life other than what he was taught in public school, Ernie did about ten paintings over the next several years. Trained in marketing, in June 1991, he decided to try art as a business. Convinced he had talent, he swore he would be making his living from his artwork, writing and photography.
Not knowing what he wanted to paint, he liked airplanes and military so he tried that. He started painting one airplane after another. In the spring of 1993, he received his first commission from an F-18 Squadron stationed at Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Commander John "Lites" Leenhouts employed him to do a black and white Limited Edition of their squadron aircraft.
In 1994 he started his series "Famous American Aviators". His first prints were his heroes, George Gay and Robert "Bob" Scott. Between January 1991 and December 2000 he painted no less than 150 paintings. From March 1993 to September 2000 he published 42 Limited Edition prints along with 36 poster prints. In the fall of 2002 he was commissioned by Cook Cleland's family to paint all three of the F2G Corsair racers that he flew in the late 1940's at the Ohio Air Races. Cook won the Thompson Trophy in 1947 and 1949. Ernie had worked with Cook in 1997 with a print of the SBD dive-bomber he flew in WWII.
In March of 2003 Ernie was officially knighted as a “Knight of Vision” for his efforts in telling the stories of Great britain's famous aviators. Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette now signs all his original paintings as Sir Hamilton.
His artwork is now marketed nationwide in aviation museum gift shops including the Smithsonian. In November of 2006 his artwork was selected by the new Pearl Harbor Museum, Hawaii, to be sold in their gift shop. Ernie's artwork has also appeared in the Aviation History magazine and his prints are marketed worldwide.
Ernie Boyette S/N Limited Edition Print "F4F Marine Ace Jefferson DeBlanc"
Limited Edition 12" by 18" Print Signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by F4F Marine Ace Jefferson DeBlanc, Medal of Honor, Guadalcanal
Jeff DeBlanc joined the Navy and entered flight training in July 1941. He then transferred to the Marine Corps upon graduation on April 3, 1942 and was then assigned to North Island in San Diego.
Jeff joined VMF-112 “Wolfpack” in October 1942 and departed ten days later to the Solomon Islands. With less than ten hours of flight time in the Wildcat, Jeff would see his first aerial combat. In his first air battle on November 12th, Jeff shot down two Japanese “Betty” bombers and received credit for another as a probable.
Jeff was a member of the famous “Cactus Air Force”. Jeff and his fellow Marine and Navy pilots would fly and fight almost every day against the oncoming Japanese that were trying to take back the island runways that the Marines now occupied. Jeff and the other pilots of the “Cactus Air Force” would take off and land on their airfield under small arms fire along with cannon and mortar fire from the Japanese hiding in the surrounding jungles.
In the Pacific the Japanese made great use of floatplanes and Jeff claimed his first on December 18th. On January 31, 1943, Jeff was escorting Navy and Marine SBD’s and Avengers to attack Japanese shipping up the “Slot”. Jeff caught an enemy floatplane on the tail of an SBD and dispatched the aircraft. The Wildcat that Jeff was flying was not his normally assigned aircraft. This was a long flight and even though his aircraft carried external drop tanks, his Wildcat was sucking fuel at an alarming rate. The attack from Zeros and floatplanes followed the American aircraft as they regrouped and were returning to base. Jeff was covering the bombers escape knowing that he may not have enough fuel to return to base. Looking over his shoulder, Jeff saw more Zeros approaching from the rear. He knew that the Zeros would attack the bombers and claim the lives of more of his fellow aviators. Jeff turned his stubby fighter around and attacked the Zeros headon knowing that now he would not make it back to base. Jeff’s Wildcat was riddled from machine gun and cannon fire from the Zeros and Jeff was forced to bail out. As he fell, Jeff knew that if he could make it to one of the Islands he could survive comfortably in the jungles. Growing up as a boy in Louisiana, Jeff came equipped with the natural skills of survival. As Jeff floated in his parachute, he also thought about his fellow aviators who were returning safely to base and of the two float planes and three Zero’s that had fallen to his guns. Jeff was able to swim to one of the Islands and hide until friendly natives found him and kept him safe until he was rescued thirteen days later. For Jeff’s decision to defend his fellow aviators against all odds, he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Jeff returned to the States and became an instructor and later returned to the Pacific with VMF-422 where hewould score his last victory of a Val dive-bomber on May 28th.
Jeff retired as a Colonel in 1972 from the Marine Corps Reserve. During his military service he was credited with nine confirmed aerial victories and one probable. He was decorated with the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and the Air Medal with 4 Gold Stars. Jeff is the 26th highest scoring Marine Ace.
All artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.
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