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-51 Ace Urban 'Ben' Drew"
A Limited Edition 12" by 18" Print Signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by the Mustang Ace Urban 'Ben' Drew
In September 1942, Ben entered flight school in Nashville Tennessee. Ben’s next phase of training was at Maxwell Army Air Force Base where he learned to fly the Stearman Bi-plane. The Army Air Corp was in great need of pilots and Ben was catching on very well as he soloed after only six hours and twelve minutes of instruction.
Ben was sent to the 361st in England, part of the 8th Air Force. The group’s name was the “Yellow Jackets.” He was sent to this unit because of the high mortality rate of its pilots. During one of Ben’s first flights he came upon an enemy airfield where he destroyed a Junkers JU-52 transport parked on the ground. His first aerial victory was on June 18th against a Bf-109. His second and third air victories were on other escorting missions.
On September 26th while flying, Ben looked down and saw a twin-engine enemy plane and requested to go down and bounce it. Diving down onto the enemy plane at 500 M.P.H. he found himself going round and round with a German ME 262. No matter what Ben tried to do to get at the jet his attempts were useless. The pilot of the jet kept his fighter at full speed and did not slow to maneuver. Ben watched the new jet pull away.
After returning to base he told his commanding officers and fellow pilots that the air war over Germany was going to change. Two other pilots in the unit had seen and chased German jets. At this time, the ME-262 was going through its final flight tests. It had not yet been used in combat conditions. The ME-262 Ben had chased was on its final preflight testing and was not to engage in combat, otherwise Ben knew that he may not have been so lucky.
The next day the flight to Germany was a typical escort mission. The bombers hit their targets and Ben started to lead his fighters back to base. As Ben was turning and banking he looked down and saw an enemy airfield. What caught his attention the most was right along the runway were the new Germans jets preparing for take off. Ben called in for permission to dive on a target. Once getting permission to dive and attack the airfield, he and his wingman started in to an 80-degree dive that was very dangerous to pull out of. The German radar was not able to warn the airplanes getting ready for take off on the field because their radar detected only horizontal flight and not vertical. Ben was able to shoot down two of the German jets after they had taken off. These were the first ME-262s shot down.
After landing, he was met by his squadron with champagne only to find out that his gun cameras had jammed and had not recorded the two victories. His commanding officer gave him the credit for the jets, yet they were not really confirmed until forty years later.
Urban Drew finished his European tour flying 76 missions with six aerial victories, and one aircraft destroyed on the ground.
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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