| [Wings 'n' Things/Aviation...column 358...June 13, 2005]
AVIATION ARTIST IN OUR MIDST Ocala is home to Raymond Waddey, a nationally noted aviation artist. He calls his business "Art - Then and Now," and specializes in architectural and aviation art, producing murals as well as custom paintings and lithographs. He has a range of beautiful artwork available for viewing and sale. These include signed originals, prints, and lithographs. If you're interested in aviation art, you'll surely find something to your liking in Waddey's portfolio. His range covers from World War I aerial scenes to the present day... he'll even paint your airplane flying over your house! "I've been interested in art all my life," said Waddey. "I earned an art scholarship in the fifth grade at the Memphis Academy of the Arts, and another one in the sixth grade, but I've never really had any formal training at all. I've always been drawn to art but I didn't really pursue it." He went to Central High School in Memphis, TN, then joined the service. He wanted to be an Air Force artist, but missed passing the test by two points. That sent him into a job as a clerk typist, which was definitely not to his liking. "I guess I made my sergeant mad because I applied to be a lifeguard, which took me away from my regular duties for half a year. It made me much happier, though," he recalled. He had also hoped to learn to fly while in the Air Force, but his eyesight kept him from becoming a pilot and he didn't want to be a navigator, the position for which he qualified. Being in the Air Force put him around airplanes, though, the effects of which show up in so many of his paintings. Waddey got out of the service in 1961 and traveled around doing the normal career and family things that occupy our lives. Eventually, in 1987, he and his wife moved to Ocala He selected this area because he wanted to expand in the area of architectural renderings, which had been his career focus, and with Gainesville nearby his opportunities were good. It was also in the 1980's that he started doing paintings of an individual's plane, then had the pilot of that plane sign the painting. He has done some outstanding combinations, including Neil Armstrong standing on the moon and one of Chuck Yeager, Waddey says that a part of creating his aviation art that he likes best is the research he performs. He researches his historic paintings by talking to the men who actually flew the planes, and in the situations, he depicts. He is acutely aware that the pilots of World War I are almost nonexistent, and those from World War II "are disappearing at a rate of 2,500 a day. This has all been a learning experience for me; I really enjoy talking to the men. I've heard things that 1 know we'll never read in the history books." When he started doing historic aviation art people would look at his work, particularly the pilots from the era, and comment that the paintings didn't look real. Not having been there, he found it hard to be accurate. But now he researches all conditions of the period, including the weather in the region where his painting takes place, to be sure every detail, every cloud formation, is accurate. "At least 90 percent of what I'm requested to paint on a commission basis is on World War II. In today's wars, actions are over in an instant. In WWII combat scenes went on for six to nine hours." All of this is interesting to Waddey, and is part of what he tries to capture on canvas. Waddey is very excited about an upcoming event in which he is very involved. The Blue Angels flight performance team will be right up the road in Gainesville on September 24 and 25 and he has been named the official Blue Angels artist. His artwork will be on the cover of the brochure for the event, and he will have a booth at the airshow. "My wife and I met the Blue Angels when we were living in Houston. I can tell you they are one fine group of men," he said proudly. Waddey may be reached at 8131 NW 115lh Avenue, Ocala 34482 or call him at 291-1167. |