Airplane, oil on canvas by David Shepherd

David Shepherd CBE – Sketch for Winter of ’43 Original and finished Print

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Framed Dimensions: 86 x 51 cm

To be sold with a limited edition copy of the finished print – so a very special purchase. This framed original is a working sketch that David made when he was creating his famous painting of ‘Winter of 43 – Somewhere in England’ . David contributed this sketch to raise funds for the Bomber Command Memorial Fund. As quoted by David: “I owe a very great debt of gratitude to the Royal Air Force, for it was through their flying me to Kenya in 1960 that I became a wildlife artist. It seemed only reasonable, therefore, to accept their invitation to paint a picture to raise funds for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. Moreover, it was a marvellous opportunity to return to one of my very first loves which I have almost totally neglected for several years, aviation art, and paint a Lancaster bomber, my favourite aircraft. I hope I have been able to evoke, in my painting the memories and feelings which must still be fresh in the minds of thousands of ground and aircrew, now dispersed all over the world, and who flew ‘Lancs’ with the Royal Air Force during those momentous days of World War II. How many must still remember ‘their’ Lanc, at far-flung dispersals; a watery sun casting long shadows on a chill autumn evening; the leafless elms of a countryside ‘somewhere in England’; the wet runway and the mud, and all the untidy clutter of last-minute preparations before take-off. I hope it is all there, that feeling of those historic times. The limited edition of 850 copies of the painting, a special version of which was signed by Barnes Wallis and ‘Bomber’ Harris, sold out in six weeks and raised £96,000, a thrilling result particularly as I was allowed to fly in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster!”

Price: POA – please contact our Art Liaison, Kay Roudaut at [email protected] or call on 01483 272323

Our sincere thanks to the current owner . This is a commercial sale through DSWF (Trading Company) with a % commission to DSWF.

Categories: All shop, David Shepherd, David Shepherd Originals, Masonry Test, Original Artworks

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IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION

Shipping is not included in this order. After your purchase is complete, a member of the DSWF team will be in touch to confirm delivery details, applicable shipping costs and timings. Import/export costs may also be payable for international deliveries outside the UK. Please be aware that due to ongoing strikes and the aftermath of the global Covid-19 pandemic, deliveries may take longer, so please do bear with us.

For any queries please email us at [email protected]

David SHEPHERD CBE, FRSA, FGRA (1931-2017) was a founding father of the wildlife art movement whose work has become synonymous with Africa, wildlife and conservation. Known as ‘The Man who Loved Giants’ for his iconic elephant artwork, for decades his paintings have graced the walls of homes, libraries, exhibitions and public spaces and excite a passion in the viewer much like the emotion he felt during the creation of his work. In 1984 he established DSWF to channel his own conservation efforts and to fund vital enforcement and community projects that continue to make a real difference to wildlife survival. To date, through his tireless efforts, and thanks to the generosity of the Foundation’s dedicated supporters, including artists from around the world, over £11 million has been given away directly in grants to keep key projects in Africa and Asia alive and operational. David was best loved for his archetypal African scenes portraying dusty waterholes teaming with life, capturing the heat and haze of an African landscape, all of which bring to life the sounds, smells and textures of a continent he called his second home. Beyond wildlife art, David had a prolific painting career which focused on many other topics and subjects. With an equal passion and love for military subjects, steam trains, landscapes and lesser seen portraits, his numerous originals and prints are held by collectors around the world.

At the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, we sell a host of David Shepherd prints, limited edition collections and even originals to help honour his legacy of the ‘Art of Survival’ by giving back to conservation through every sale. David was passionate in his belief that wildlife art could make a real and tangible difference to the protection of species and their habitats, and his incredible legacy has proved just how true this is, something we are proud to continue in his name today.