My latest, not exactly what it seems

karrart · 21 January 2012, 03:07 PM

OK- let's see if I still remember how to do this photo posting thing...........
It's not often that one can combine personal, local and big-time history into a single painting. My latest picture shows the classic World War I Fokker D.VII. But once upon a time this particular Fokker lived at the old Frank Tallman/Paul Mantz "Tallmantz" Movieland of the Air museum at Orange County Airport in Southern California. As a kid, in the early 60s, I was lucky enough to visit it more than once. Its colors and markings almost (but not quite) duplicated one of WW I ace Ernst Udet's D.VIIs named after his fiance "Lola". It stirred my brain and helped develope a lifetime love for these old airplanes. The airport was located nearby to the gigantic Tustin Blimp hangars- they remain major landmarks to this day, although not so much as then since the area has undergone massive growth.But in those days they were just sort of out in the middle of nowhere. Several PR photos exist of Tallmantz airplanes with these hangars as a backdrop....and they're right down there, in the lower left of my painting! I HAD to work them into the painting. And I had to show Frank Tallman in the cockpit! That's the personal and local angle to my picture. The bigtime history figures into the story because this is a genuine World War I German Fokker D.VII, rolling out of the factory in late 1918. Ending up in the States in the early 20s, it became a movie star, appearing in the classic "Hell's Angels" and other flying epics from the late 20s and 30s. At some point its Mercedes engine wore out and was replaced by a HispanoSuiza engine of the same era and with comparable power. Numerous other modifications were inflicted upon it as the decades passed, and I tried to include all the subtle changes. I worked from several old photos including a couple of fuzzy pictures I had taken.
Even with all that has been done to it, underneath it was, and still is a Fokker! It still exists, immaculately restored and living in the Netherlands today.
30"x40", acrylic hand and airbrush on hardboard. Maybe at some point I'll do up a small print, maybe not!

Gregvan · 21 January 2012, 06:20 PM

Hi Robert,

That's absolutely fantastic!! It matches every detail I've ever seen on photos and movies of that bird. If I'm not mistaken, it appeared in "Men with Wings" when it was owned primarily by Paul Mantz, as the only real D.VII amidst a flight of Wichita Fokkers all painted up in "Flying Circus" markings.

Your painting evokes all my memories of that plane showing up in the popular aviation magazines of my youth, and in Tallman's Flying the Old Planes. Tallmann also painted up his Wichita Fokker/Travelair in these same markings, for the cherished episode of "Get Smart" in which which Maxwell Smart "flies" the Garland Lincoln-built "Nieuport" against Siegried's "Fokker". They used some stock footage of this actual Fokker D.VII in the dogfight scene.

Technically, the full name of Udet's fiancé, and later wife, was Eleonore Zink. "The Great Waldo Pepper" perpetuated the myth that her name was "Lola".

Just for fun, here she is with Udet. She really was a stunner:

Here's Udet with his bride on a motorcycle.

Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic painting with us!

karrart · 21 January 2012, 07:28 PM

Thanks for the good words! On the Lo-Lola-Eleanor thing, my brain outgassed when it should've ingassed! And thanks also for posting those pics!
Tallman's book, a couple of really early Air Classics and a color spread of the collection in an old Cavalier really helped. One of the best pics of this airplane is on Bill Larkin's facebook page- that helped fill in aLOT of details.
One day early last month I had my wife drive me around on a little expedition so I could photograph the background hills. And those hangars are a little over a 1000' long and 178' tall, but today they almost blend into the background and disappear....but the hills still have the same outlines! ( and they're about 12-15 minutes away from here....)
Robert Karr

karrart · 23 January 2012, 11:18 PM

Well the painting has been sealed and will be framed tomorrow. Thursday it heads out on a little field trip to a location that would be about four or five inches out of the painting, off the lower left corner of the picture. Watch the coming events section of the Forum in the next few days.......
Robert Karr

Patrick · 24 January 2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Thursday it heads out on a little field trip to a location that would be about four or five inches out of the painting, off the lower left corner of the picture.

hmmmm . . . might it be bound for one of the exhibit cases at John Wayne Airport?

Beautiful work Robert -- I recognized it before reading your first post. The hangars at Tustin and the mountains cued me, as well as the colors and the nose. SNA would be a great place for it to hang for a bit -- returning to where it all began as it were . . .

karrart · 25 January 2012, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick

hmmmm . . . might it be bound for one of the exhibit cases at John Wayne Airport?

Beautiful work Robert -- I recognized it before reading your first post. The hangars at Tustin and the mountains cued me, as well as the colors and the nose. SNA would be a great place for it to hang for a bit -- returning to where it all began as it were . . .

Several of those cases will soon be filled........
Robert Karr