While living in Mexico City in 1939 at age 8, I
had the chance to get my first Bill Barnes book. I was so
thrilled by George L Eaton´s adventures of Bill Barnes and Sandy
Sanders flying the Scarlet Stormer and the Eaglet that
through them I got the aviation fever. The Golden Era of aviation was on and
many beautiful designs of airplanes of the time got in my blood.
Years passed, the great war passed and the fever
continued up to the present. I still like to build model airplanes and
why not? By being a painter I had to portray one of Bill Barnes
airplanes, his favorite, the Scarlet Stormer so I made this rendering
and depicted Bill and Sandy coming from the overcast and
right on top of the airport. The two Diesel V-12´s roaring, throttled
back and starting the let down.
I always admired the work of Frank Tinsley
the BB´s artist and by having the advantage of getting the plans he draw
for BB´s airplanes I was able to paint the plane as close as possible to his
original creation. In 2001, BB flies again!
The Scarlet Stormer painting was done
in oil on canvas, measures 20¨ X 29¨.
1. Tail detail with BB´s identification
2. Cockpit detail with Bill and Sandy glancing at the
airport
3. The two Diesel V-12 engines with contrarotating props
The next project I have in mind is to build a
scale model of one of BB´s planes. Possibly the Scarlet Stormer
or the Snorter.
Ferrando Acuña, 2001
About the artist:
- Born in 1930, Bogotá, Colombia.
- Studied art in the California College of Arts
and Crafts, Oakland - California, and at his father´s studio in Bogotá -
Colombia.
- One Man Show in Bogotá and Cali - Colombia,
and Santo Domingo - Dominican Republic.
- Paintings and airplane scale models in the
Colombian Air Force Museum in Bogotá, and in the National Museum of
Transportation in Cali - Colombia.
- Mural in the Colombian Air Force School, in
Cali - Colombia.
Ferrando Acuña is specialist in painting
airplanes of all ages and railroad paintings as well.
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