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 "P-40 Ace, Robert Scott"
Limited Edition 24" by 18" Print Signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by P-40 Ace, Robert Scott
Robert graduated from West Point on June 10, 1932. His wings were finally pinned on his uniform in 1933 at Randolph Field, Texas. Scott flew most all the early Army Air Corp fighters. and ended up becoming a flight instructor for many years. He was stationed at Cal Aero Academy at Ontario, California when the war in Europe was raging. The thoughts of being a fighter pilot and not being able to fly and fight stirred emotions in his heart.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Scott volunteered for combat in March 1942. He was now tired of training pilots and was longing for the opportunity to fly and fight like the brave RAF pilots against the Luftwaffe. Now the Japanese were on the move to control the entire Pacific. Robert knew that his age would be held against him but he hoped that his record and his persuasiveness would prevail. He was quite disappointed that at the age of 33 he was considered to old for combat duty and would remain a flight instructor.
There was a request for volunteers for flying the new B-17 in combat in China. Bob knew nothing about the new Fortress but he was willing to learn. He was selected and sent to the Middle East in route to China.
Bob’s mission changed. The B-17’s went to American units in North Africa and Bob went to fly with the newly formed Assam-Burma-China Transport command. Instead of flying Boeing Bombers in combat Bob found himself flying cargo planes over the “Hump” taking supplies over the earth’s highest peeks. This was a dreary flight with many risks from climate and weather conditions to mechanical malfunctions and then enemy fighters.
At this time, Bob was itching for combat and not in a cargo plane. The Flying Tigers were famous for their exploits, outnumbered by enemy fighters and bombers and always being victorious. And here was Bob flying back and forth over these ridiculous high mountains risking his life to bring them, aviation gasoline, oil, food, medical supplies, and aircraft parts.
Here he met the famous Chennault. Chennault was taken by Scott’s positive attitude and he gave him a P-40. From then on he was more or less a free wheeling self-imposed fighter pilot. The first thing he did was to personally draw the famous Flying Tiger shark teeth at the opening of his radiator. Bob said that he painted the design on himself.
Bob started flying solo missions into enemy territory. With no previous experience, this was indeed a bold move. Not foolish, brave. His first missions were against Japanese troop movements, convoys and barge traffic. He had his P-40 equipped to carry small bombs to give him more punch for a single aircraft. In May Bob logged 214 hours and 45 minutes of combat hours flying as many as four missions a day. Self imposed leadership at its best.
Affectionately Bob named his fighter “Old Exterminator” because he found out, from British intelligence in the area, that on one raid on the mountain road, with the use of a bomb and his guns, he killed approximately four hundred Japanese troops. That is a lot of enemy casualties from one aircraft but quite possible because troop convoys on that mountain highway were completely vulnerable to any determined aerial attack. Bob told me that he watched Japanese troops jump to their deaths to avoid being hit by his machine guns, which just ripped through a truck disabling the vehicle and decimating anyone still inside. Bob flew up and down, back and forth firing until his ammo was spent. The enemy troops had much difficulty in defending their position in that the P-40 came in quick. Bob said that usually his third pass would be his last because he would want to save a few bullets for an enemy fighter if he encountered one on the way back to base. It was also not advisable to make multiple passes because if the enemy had proper opportunity, your chance of surviving each pass dropped drastically.
Reports of Bob were getting around with him being called a “One Man Air Force.” Bob was also flying up to four missions a day. He tried everything to confuse the enemy and one way that was really quite simple was that Bob came up with the idea of painting the nose cap of his propeller a different color to let the Japanese believe that each aircraft that attacked them was from a different squadron. It worked just as he had planned. On a few missions in one day on the same troop movement he would attack with his spinner painted white, then the next attack it would be blue and the next red. Bob said that the paint would not have time to dry before he was speeding down the runway to his next mission.
Bob’s goal was to join the Flying Tigers and finally he was offered the opportunity to fly as a “Guest.” He flew wing on several missions. On returning from a mission on June 26th, he was met with a telegram he said he would never forget. He was to report to Chennault as the commanding officer of the newly formed 23rd Fighter Group, which was to be activated from the remaining AVG on July 4, 1942.
Bob also wrote the book, “God is my Co-pilot.”
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