Artist depicts famous flying boats

Whidbey Islanders with their history of operations by the Navy’s PBY airplanes may be interested in an uncoming event at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

The Navy’s PBY Catalinas operated out of Oak Harbor’s Crescent Harbor during and after World War II, mainly patrolling in the Aleutian Islands.

Original paintings by Ian Marshall will be shown in the Museum of Flight’s Great Gallery from June 1-9. The artist will give author talks about his newly released book, “Flying Boats,” and sign books at 2 p.m. June 8 at the Museum of Flight, and at 4 p.m. on June 9 at Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle.

In the 1920s to ‘30s, paved airfields were a rarity, yet bigger and heavier aircraft were needed to take people longer distances. The airlines and builders came to the conclusion that a long-range airliner should have the capability to land on water. Thus, a brief, unique and romantic era of aviation began with the advent of the flying boat.

Acclaimed artist Ian Marshall captures these aircraft and their ports of call in “Flying Boats.” Marshall illustrates the exotic locations and elegant beauty of the flying boats. His paintings cover manufacturers like Boeing, Sikorsky, Martin, Latecoere, Curtiss, Consolidated (manufacturer of the Catalina) and Short, and airlines like Pan Am and Air France.

Marshall is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists and his work hangs in the permanent collections in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, the Royal Navy Museum and Lloyds of London. Other books he has written and illustrated include Armored Ships, Ironclads & Paddlers, and Passage East.

The paintings from “Flying Boats” will also be shown at the Marine Gallery in Kirkland from June 11 to July 27. A reception will be held there June 13 from 6-9 p.m. It is at 14 Lakeshore Plaza. Call 425-739-9895.

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