Simon Cattlin - Aviation art, Aerospace art, Astronomical art

Simon Cattlin AGAvA, Aviation Art, Aerospace Art, Astronomical Art - my artist journey

I sold my first painting in 1978, having just completed my Art 'A' level, and I've been selling a wide range of predominately aviation art, aerospace art and astronomical art for many years alongside my more recent abstract works. I started working with oil paints when I was 13 and it's the medium I love the most; there is nothing quite like the creative anticipation of a large blank canvas to test your imaginative skills and professional quality oil paints give you a fabulously rich palette to work with. I do some paintings in high quality acrylic paints and I now work digitally for some new original projects and re-edited digital print editions.

As a small boy, I'd been fascinated by all things aeronautical, and it was that constant interest that started me sketching aircraft before I moved onto expressing myself in colour. The aviation art and aerospace art markets have developed tremendously since the late 1970s, largely thanks to the superb works of Robert Taylor, Gerald Coulson and their many peers. The standards created by them set the bar for me and many other aviation artists, who are drawn to aviation art and aerospace art individually, or via the Guild of Aviation Artists, which is the world's best established and most respected aviation art association. I'm an Associate Member of the GAVA and submit work to their famous annual exhibition.

Science & astronomy has been a constant interest for over 30yrs, to have so much of our art inwardly focused on a minute speck within the fabric of the universe seems almost dismissive of the panoramic intensity of the wider cosmos. In our journeys beyond the stratosphere - art goes first. I've produced numerous paintings of planetary scenes, starscapes, galaxies, deep space nebulas and well-known icons of the science fiction universe, such as the NCC 1701 Enterprise, as well as my own future craft designs. The International Association of Astronomical Artists ( IAAA)  is the collective "home" for those of us who combine our love and wonder of astronomical themes with expressive original art. We bring you the images that the cameras can't get to, I'm an Artist Member of the IAAA.

I've been a keen sports pilot since my early 20's and, after several years hang-gliding, completed my PPL and began my aerobatic journey owning/operating a range of aircraft including Fournier RF4D, Slingsby T67, Piper Cub, Starduster Too, Pitts Special, Yak55m and Extra EA300. Sports aviation is an amazing reference platform for skyscape themes and freestyle aerobatics around the cloud tops is about as exhilarating as life can get. I've also flown a number of popular vintage types including Bucker Jungmann, Tigermoth, Harvard and Spitfire.