Spitfires - Small
The Spitfire is such an iconic symbol and I believe it is a really big part of our culture here in the UK. When you look at a Spitfire it touches you emotionally. It serves as a reminder of freedom, bravery, resilience and the British spirit.
I wanted to capture the essence of the Spitfire and convey that. It will mean different things to different people as they look at the planes as they soar through the sky and this is exactly what I was aiming for; to stimulate people to think about what these planes mean to them.
Trying to get the perspective correct and convey the sense of motion was something I wanted to achieve.
I wanted the planes I used in my designs to be as faithful to the real thing as possible. This meant that I had to study every panel, particularly the undercarriage. The camouflage and markings on the individual planes were also an important part of my design.
The markings I chose relate to a specific squadron. The first two letters on the side were the code of the Squadron. XT was the marking of 603 squadron. They were the City of Edinburgh Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
The other letter following XT depicts the individual planes in that squadron in alphabetical order. This squadron was one of many that took part in the battle of Britain.
After many trial runs the composition came together and I am now satisfied that when you look at the piece it creates the same feeling of pride as when you look at one of these planes in action or close up. The Spitfire will mean different things to different people, it will invoke many memories and emotions and this is what I wanted to convey.
As a mark of respect for all our British Servicemen I have enhanced this particular limited edition of Spitfire towers with a famous quote from Winston Churchill, ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’ on the base.
Recommended retail price £482.
The small towers are 9.25” high by 4” wide at the base and 2.5 wide at the top (all measurements are approximate).
