A Limited Edition 12" by 18" Print Signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by the Japanese Ace Kunio Iwashita
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 Signed and Numbered Print "Kunio Iwashita"
Kawanishi N1K2-J "George" Fighter
Iwashita was born on March 1, 1921. He joined the prestigious Naval Academy in 1938 and graduated in 1941. The men who went to the academy were Japan's elite, and underwent difficult training, which included intense physical exercises along with class work such as foreign language study and physics.
In March 1943, he was assigned as a flight instructor, and in November of that same year, he became Division Leader of the 301st Air Group. Based on Iwo Jima Island, this Air Group fought the massive American aerial armadas and suffered heavy casualties. It was during this time when he experienced his first combat melee with an F6F Hellcat. To this day, Iwashita vividly remembers the young American pilot with his white muffler going down in flames. He also recalls the help of veteran Zero pilot Iyozoh Fujita, who always protected him during these brutal air battles.
In July 1944, he transferred from the 301st Air Group and became the Squadron Commander of the 701st Air Group. After a short stint with the 701st, in November 1944 he transferred to the 401st Air Group, which was based at Clark Airbase in the Philippines. Iwashita and his men flew the New Shiden (allied code name George) against the Americans. It was a good airplane, but unfortunately a lack of spare parts caused frequent mechanical failures. Iwashita and his men encountered a number of American planes, including the P-38, B-24 and F6F Hellcat.
The Americans pounded Clark Airbase with large-scale attacks and eventually captured it. According to Iwashita, many of his men escaped to the mountains west of the airbase after the capture. There the majority of his squadron members died due to illness and hunger. Iwashita was one of the lucky aviators to escape via a transport plane.
Iwashita's next assignment was with the elite Yokosuka Air Group, flying home defense missions against marauding American carrier fighters and the legendary B-29 Superfortress. When the Battle of Okinawa broke out, he and a group of pilots were sent to southern Kyushu. Their job was to protect the Kamikaze special attack aircraft on their flights to Okinawa.
On April 12, Iwashita led a large group of Zero fighters to attack Okinawa. During this mission, a brutal aerial melee occurred with a large group of F4U Corsairs. Iwashita found himself alone in the sky. Four F4U Corsairs then jumped him, attacking his aircraft repeatedly. He survived the dogfight by out-maneuvering them and Iwashita returned to his base. There, his comrades were surprised to see that he survived the melee. According to him, the fantastic maneuverability of the Zero saved his life. Iwashita ended the war serving with the Yokosuka Air Group. He had 1300 flight hours during the war, flying several different fighters in combat including the Zero, George (Shiden-Kai) and Jack (Raiden).
After the war ended, he returned home and retired from the military. Iwashita was lucky to survive the brutal air battles over Iwo Jima, Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. Of the thirty-five pilots in his graduating class, only four (including Iwashita) survived the war.
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.
Not logged in
Login Status