derrick-dickens

Aviation Artwork of Local Hermanus Artist Derrick Dickens

Internationally renowned artist, and local Hermanus resident, Derrick Dickens’ aviation artwork featuring aircraft of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, as seen here, is the subject of a recently published book.

This magnificent work of 168 pages is entitled Illustrated History of the Fleet Air Arm – Stringbag to Shar 1938 to 2006. It features paintings of every type and mark of fixed-wing front line aircraft to serve in the FAA from 1938 to 2006.

The forward was written by the Admiral of the Fleet, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip also chose the painting Swordfish, on page 6 of the book, which now hangs in Buckingham Palace.

Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm — this painting was chosen by HRH Prince Phillip and now hangs in Buckingham Palace — Artist: Derrick Dickens

After matriculating at the Pretoria Boys High School where one of his main subjects was art, he enrolled at Rhodes University, in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he majored in Fine Arts and Design. Derrick’s career as an aviation artist emerged rather late in life and more specifically when he retired after many years, first in show business as a set designer and painter, and then in the world of advertising and marketing. He was visiting Professor of Marketing at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Derrick Dickens’ aviation artwork hangs in a number of private collections, as well as in Museum art galleries around the world including the Nimitz Naval Museum, Houston Texas, the Smithsonian Aerospace Institute, Washington DC, the clubhouse of the Confederate Air Force in Harlingen, Texas and the Warner Robbins Museum of Aviation in Georgia.

Apart from featuring aviation subjects in his artwork, Prof. Dickens also paints sailing ships and tug boats. Derrick is known to accept private commissions and he may be contacted direct via email ddickens[at]mweb[dot]co[dot]za.

Swordfish Mk2
Fairey Swordfish Mk2

Seafire 46
Seafire 46 (click any pic to enlarge)


Seafire 47
Seafire 47

Seafire Mk XV
Seafire Mk XV


Firefly Mk1
Firefly Mk1
Phantom FG Mk1
Phantom FG Mk1

Phantom
Phantom


Buccaneer S Mk2
Buccaneer S Mk2

Sea Venom FA Mk21
Sea Venom FA Mk21


Wildcat MkV
Wildcat MkV
Scimitar F Mk1
Scimitar F Mk1

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