Art meets aviation
Lincolnshire has proved the perfect place for artist Peter Binks to combine his twin passions of portraiture and vintage aircraft, as he tells Glynis Fox.
If people suspect that our county’s aviation heritage has had a big influence on Peter’s story, you’d be right – and it still does today.
Even better, he has also made the most of opportunities to share his skills and inspire the artists of the future.
“I’m originally from the North East and I studied fine art at Sunderland and then Brighton Polytechnics, as well as spending time overseas at the Royal Academy of the Netherlands,” he explains. “It was whilst studying in the Netherlands, that I really turned my attention to portraiture, inspired by seeing first-hand the works of the Dutch Masters, such as Vermeer and Rembrandt.
“We made the move from Kent, where I had worked as the head of art for 20 years at a public school, to Lincolnshire in the summer of 2020. My wife had secured a teaching post at Caistor Grammar School and I also ended up teaching Art & Design one day a week at the same school until 2024. It’s quite a family affair, as my son Aidan attends the school.
“As a child, back in the 1970s, I used to holiday regularly with relatives at RAF Cranwell. I think this is when my interest in aviation really took off. I remember visiting RAF Waddington and Binbrook to admire the jets of the day. Later, and as an officer in the RAF Volunteer Reserve, I would get to see these and other Lincolnshire stations from closer-up.
“However, it wasn’t until our permanent move to the stunning Wolds in 2020 that I really got to appreciate all that the county has to offer.
“As a pilot of vintage aircraft for over 30 years, mainly flying the Tiger Moth, Lincolnshire offered me a rich aviation heritage.
“One of my first actions on moving to Lincolnshire was to fly an ex-RAF Chipmunk out of Wickenby Aerodrome. Seeing the sights of the Cathedral, the Wolds and the Red Arrows looping over Scampton from my cockpit at 2,000 feet, certainly helped me to geographically gain an appreciation of the county.
“It wasn’t until about 2016 that I decided to combine my two passions of flying and portraiture and create ‘aviation portraits’. The move to Lincolnshire has really broadened the scope of my painting.
“My aviation portrait hero has to be Cuthbert Orde, who, in World War II, expressively portrayed the Battle of Britain pilots of 1940.”
Artistic process
Every artist has their own techniques and also their preferred choice of materials, and Peter is no exception.
“My technique is painterly and although my paintings have traditional elements, I like to think they also have a modern twist. I work mainly in acrylic paint, as I find it quick drying and easier than oils to mix and manipulate. My work has been exhibited in The Mall Galleries in London and can be found in several private collections, and with the Red Arrows at RAF Waddington.
“With my passion for vintage aircraft, it is a privilege to have my work on display with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) at RAF Coningsby.
“The flight has in its possession 50 of my portraits of former and current BBMF personnel with around 30 hanging on display in its headquarters at RAF Coningsby. BBMF portraits will be sold this year to raise funds for the Mark Long Trust (www.marklongtrust.org).
“I prefer to paint and draw from life, as I think it is the most purist and most immediate form of portraiture. However, I enjoy working from photographs and employ the ‘Vermeer grid’ technique to create an accurate image.
“The aviation scene in the UK is quite a tight community, so word of mouth is often how I receive commissions. I have met some of my aviation heroes through doing their portrait, and I have sometimes had to pinch myself as I chat with a pilot who several years previously I had watched in awe as they put a Red Arrows jet or Spitfire through its paces.
“I’m always pleasantly surprised by the reaction of a person when presented with their finished image. It is one of delight and surprise. I think this is in part due to traditional portrait painting being unique and a ‘one-off’ when compared with the ease of modern digital techniques and imagery available today.”
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