Study for the Lightning by Humphrey Ocean, graphite on paper

‘The project spanned two years, beginning in January 1987 after the Museum’s then Curator of Art, the late Tony Harold, got in touch. He had liked my painting Lord Volvo and His Estate (1982, Wolverhampton Art Gallery) and thought about how I might translate my treatment of the automobile and men into depicting RAF aircraft and crew.

I travelled with Tony to RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire, taking Rolleiflex photographs and making sketchbook drawings. I then made a squared-up drawing of the Lightning, enabling me to enlarge the image onto canvas. It helped to show the Museum what kind of picture I would produce, securing the painting’s commission’ – Humphrey Ocean, 2022. Commissioned in 1987. Copyright: Humphrey Ocean, licensed by DACS.