Keith Ferris
Keith Ferris | |
---|---|
Born | Carlisle Keith Ferris May 14, 1929 |
Nationality | American |
Education | Texas A&M University, George Washington University, Corcoran College of Art |
Known for | Aviation art |
Spouse | Peggy Todd Ferris |
Elected | National Aviation Hall of Fame |
Website | keithferrisart |
Keith Ferris (born May 14, 1929,
Biography
Carlisle Keith Ferris was born on May 14, 1929, in Honolulu to Carlisle and Virginia (
His father was a combat pilot instructor for six years at Kelly Field, during which time Ferris became exposed to and interested in military aircraft. After the father's further advancement in the Army Air Corps, the family then moved to March Field, near Riverside, California. To celebrate his tenth birthday, Ferris' first flight was in a Douglas B-18A to which his father had been assigned.[1]
In 1946, Ferris entered
Upon completion of his studies, he moved to
He married Peggy Todd in 1953, while in St. Louis, which union produced a daughter and a son.[1]
Career
Aviation art
Ferris' work has been displayed at venues that include the Air Force Art Collection
In a 1994 interview for AOPA Pilot magazine, Ferris suggested three rules of thumb for good aviation art:[13]
- Painting vs. photography: "If it can be handled by a photographer, I'm not interested in spending my time doing the same thing with paint."
- From across a room: "If you can tell at a glance what is going on, what it is and what it is doing, then it is pretty good art".
- Develop the shadows in aircraft imagery: "Airplanes are like a big mirror; they reflect the surrounding environment in their surfaces."
In a 2001 interview for The New York Times, Ferris highlighted the advantage of an artist over a photographer by pointing out that, as an artist he can start with nothing and using his imagination turn it into something, as opposed to a photographer who must have an object or scene to photograph. He further explained that his process of creating his works begins with a "debriefing" of his Air Force-sponsored travels to his wife, leading to thumbnail sketches, then to various views of the aircraft mission to be portrayed and finally to scaling all objects to appear in the scene using an engineering process called, ''perspective projection by descriptive geometry''; this includes careful consideration of the aircraft's flight path relative to the viewer's position. Key to the three dimensional effect is the handling of light and reflected light within the composition.[10]
Ferris and his wife operate a small business, offering his original art and prints of his work for sale.[2]
Air Force Art Program
His participation in the Air Force Art Program allowed Ferris to travel worldwide and to document the missions of many of the Air Force's jet aircraft, providing 62 major paintings to the collection.[14] The program provided opportunities to fly in a wide variety of Air Force planes over more than 40 years, including in B-52s, the F-4E Phantom in Thailand, with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team, and on Air Force missions during the Bosnian Conflict. His subject matter documents aviation history from World War I through the current era.[10]
Murals
Ferris created two 75-foot-wide (23 m) murals for the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, "Fortresses Under Fire" in the museum's World War II gallery and "The Evolution of Jet Aviation" in the museum's Jet Aviation gallery.[14]
His best-known work, the 25-foot-high (7.6 m) by 75-foot-wide (23 m) mural "Fortresses Under Fire", depicts with historical accuracy a
The second 75-foot-wide (23 m) mural, "The Evolution of Jet Aviation", depicts 27 historically significant jet aircraft, including the first and the fastest, and models from eight nations and from 20 aircraft manufacturers.[15]
Professional societies
Ferris joined the Society of Illustrators in New York City in 1960, which introduced him to the Air Force Art Program.[1][2] He is a founder and past president of the American Society of Aviation Artists,[14] established with the stated goal to "promote professionalism, authenticity and quality in aviation art"; the society also provides scholarships, annual educational forums, advice on business practices, and opportunities for exhibition.[17][18]
Camouflage
Ferris applied his knowledge of aircraft, his substantial experience with flying on missions in military aircraft, combined with his artistic talent, to developing several innovative camouflage patterns for military aircraft. He obtained five patents, covering these camouflage patterns.[19] One design involved painting a false cockpit on the underside of an aircraft[20][21] to make it more difficult for an adversary to determine which way the aircraft was turning.[22] Another design, using disruptive coloration, entailed applying three shades of gray in a jagged pattern.[23][24] Key principles included elimination of both bright colors and black from color schemes, the use of gray tones with a matte finish, the use of asymmetric patterns, and the de-emphasis of insignias.[19] A third design principle creates visual confusion as an aircraft moves over a background.[25] Ferris-inspired camouflage schemes have been implemented on foreign aircraft, as well.[26]
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McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, depicting a disruptive gray camouflage scheme by Ferris (top), contrasted with a jungle coloration (bottom).
-
General Dynamics F-16, showing multi-shade pattern camouflage, influenced by Ferris.
-
Russian Sukhoi Su-57, showing multi-shade pattern camouflage, influenced by Ferris.
-
Air Force T-37 primary trainer with reversed countershading for maximum visibility, designed by Ferris
Recognition
In 2012, Ferris was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, where he was cited as the “Dean of American Aviation Art” in recognition of his contributions as an artist, historian, aviator, inventor, and teacher.[1]
In 1986 Ferris became an Honorary Daedalian—the national fraternity of military pilots,
His paintings that were selected as "Best of Show" at the American Society of Aviation Artists Annual Exhibition include:[14]
- “Real Trouble” (1995)[30][31]
- “First Trap” (1996)[32][33]
- “Rolling Thunder” (1999)[34][35]
- “Nowhere To Hide”(2000)[36]
Bibliography
- Ferris, K; Ballantine, I (1983). The aviation art of Keith Ferris. New York: Peacock Press/Bantam Books.
Patents
- Ferris, Carlisle Keith (May 16, 1978), Patent 4,089,491: Camouflaged aircraft, surface vessel or vehicle or the like, U.S. Patent Office
- Ferris, Carlisle K. (September 27, 1983), Patent 4,406,428: Camouflaged aircraft, U.S. Patent Office
- Ferris, Carlisle K. (September 16, 1986), Patent 4,611,524: Camouflaged vehicle such as an aircraft, surface vessel or the like, U.S. Patent Office
Further reading
McCollough, Amy (September 2008). "Air Power on Canvas" (PDF). Air Force Magazine. pp. 52–7.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Entry for Keith Ferris". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Parisi, Albert J. "New Jersey Q & A: Keith Ferris; Putting the Brush to Air History". The New York Times. No. 29 January 1989. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ McCollough, Amy (September 2008). "Air Power on Canvas" (PDF). Air Force Magazine. pp. 52–7. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ Maksel, Rebecca. "The Battle of Bien Hoa Air Base". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ Staff (2017-08-17). "Air Force 70th Birthday Art Exhibit Opens Sept. 9 at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force". Warbirds News. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ISBN 9781571451637.
- ISBN 9781586630812.
- ISBN 9781854094735.
- ISBN 9781402718564.
- ^ a b c d e f Nash, Margo (January 21, 2001). "ART; A Life of Turning Aviation Into High Art". The New York Times. p. NJ14. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ Khan, Tauseef Razi Mallick | Waqar Muhammad (2018-02-03). "A stroll through the PAF museum: When a soldier takes up brushes, art happens". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ Usman, Maryam (2011-09-07). "Patriotism: Elevating the aces through art | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ Marsh, Alton K. (January 5, 1994). "Aviation as Art". AOPA Pilot Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
- ^ a b c d Staff. "Keith Ferris, ASAA and Founder". American Society of Aviation Artists. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ a b Avino, Mark. "The Keith Ferris mural 'The Evolution of Jet Aviation'". National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ "'Thunder Bird' by Keith Ferris". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Staff. "Guide to the American Society of Aviation Artists Collection". ead.ohiolink.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ "American Society of Aviation Artists - ASAA". American Society of Aviation Artists - ASAA. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ a b Browne, Malcolm W. "Air Force Sees Beauty In Ugly Ducklings". The New York Times. No. 18 August 1987. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ Ferris, Carlisle K. (September 27, 1983), Patent 4,406,428: Camouflaged aircraft, U.S. Patent Office
- ISBN 9781576073452.
- ISBN 9780897471688.
- ^ Ferris, Carlisle Keith (May 16, 1978), Patent 4,089,491: Camouflaged aircraft, surface vessel or vehicle or the like, U.S. Patent Office
- ISBN 9780738593128.
- ^ Ferris, Carlisle K. (September 16, 1986), Patent 4,611,524: Camouflaged vehicle such as an aircraft, surface vessel or the like, U.S. Patent Office
- ^ Sweetman, Bill (November 23, 2013). "50 Shades Of Sukhoi". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2018-08-11.[dead link]
- ^ Staff (2016). "Hall of Fame Inductees". Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey. Archived from the original on 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ Staff (2006). "2006 Hall of Fame Inductee: Keith Ferris". Society of Illustrators. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ "Keith Ferris Biography - Keith Ferris Art". Keith Ferris Art. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ Ferris, Keith. "'Real Trouble' - Limited Edition Print". Greenwich Workshop. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ Air & Space Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institution. 1995. p. 5.
- ^ Ferris, Keith. "First Trap by Keith Ferris (T-2C)". Aviation Art Hangar. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ISBN 978-1-61673-271-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Museum commemorates 60th anniversary with art exhibit". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^ Airman. Air Force Service Information and News Center (AFSINC). 1991. p. 47.
- ISBN 978-0-16-092661-7.