Piers Dowell – Airbrush Master

Enth Degree

Call: 01568 750477

Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain
A beautifully crafted replica of a genuine Spitfire prop blade, this piece is close Piers heart. He is fortunate enough to own a Rolls Royce Merlin 66 from a Mk 9 Spitfire and together with his passion for historic aviation in general the motivation was here to produce a really stunning piece. The engine Piers owns was built at the Rolls Royce Hillington plant in Glasgow in September 1944. It was installed in Mk9 Spitfire RK858 which was crashed in December 1944 in the Russian theatre sadly killing the pilot. The airframe now somewhat banana shaped was retrieved from Russia in the late 1990s by Stephen Grey of The Fighter Collection at Duxford. It was from here that Piers brought the engine as it was surplus to requirements. Although he has an engine Piers does not have a prop assembly or even a blade suitable. So he utilized his contact at the TFC, Peter Russian, to borrow one from which to make a mould. Peter kindly volunteered one of their restorers Dave Lees who had a genuine non airworthy blade. Airworthy Spitfire prop assemblies are £50k and upwards so borrowing one of those probably wasn’t possible or necessary. Piers Thanked Dave for his kindness and assured him the blade wouldn’t be damaged during the moulding process. After mounting the blade on a base and making the mould split line lines the piece was then shipped to Dillon at Hereford glass fibre to have a mould taken from it. This was successfully achieved except for the fact that when releasing the original blade from the mould it took half the shaky paint with it as it had been badly resprayed at some time since its manufacture in the ‘40s. Well Piers had promised Dave it wouldn’t be damaged so had to then set about a full restoration of the original paint but still using the original Rotol decals before returning the prop. Anyway this was achieved and the blade return to Dave who was very grateful that it was is better condition that when it left his custody.With a mould at the ready Piers set about laying up 2 replicas, one for his Battle of Britain project and the other for his Reno Air Races Prop. Piers based the paint design in the proper satin finish black with its yellow warning tip and complete with Rotol (the original prop manufacturer) logo airbrushed on. On the one side the black fades to a quadrant of the Union Jack with Winston Churchill’s immortal words about the few, scripted in 24k gold leaf over it. Also on that side Piers has rendered the human face of the few, Winston Chuchill, chief Air Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding and a famous image of the few awaiting the call to scramble. These images are all rendered in black & white and Piers has even added dust & scratches to the scramble scene to add to its authenticity as a photo from the era. On the other side of the prop is a colour image of a Mk 9 Spitfire & a Hurricane flying in formation over the English countryside. Also a black & white image of a Hurricane which was especially tricky to get the effect of canvas stretched over the stringers of the fuselage. Also on this side is an image of contrails from a dogfight over St Pauls Cathedral. This image perhaps epitomises more than any other the peril faced at our doorstep and how close we really were to losing it all. Next to this image is a rendition of the cover of Picture Post Magazine. Again Piers has distressed it so apart from its size it looks like the real thing from 1940. On the cover is an iconic image of Keith Gillam who was picked as a poster boy for the brave young pilots at the time. Keith is also one of the pilots depicted in the scramble scene. Sadly he was killed in action before the issue of Picture post went to print. Atop the prop blade is a pre war recruitment poster which perhaps epitomises the attitude of these brave men. Finally, and perhaps the most technically difficult image to render, was the painting of Sir Henry Royce and RJ Mitchell. Those who know their aviation history know that Sir Henry died in 1933 and RJ Mitchell in 1937. The original photo was taken when the 2 met during the epic Schneider Trophy races of the late 20’s and early ‘30s. Piers has even rendered the tweed on Sir Henrys Jacket and this whole image is only 20 cm wide. A testament to the accuracy to which he can get his Iwata airbrush and Com Art paint to work. The prop is bonded into a stainless exact replica, threads and all, of the screw in prop root. This fitted into the 3 way prop hub on the originals and such is Piers attention to detail that this replica would fit exactly. The piece sits atop its own bespoke 2.5rpm rotating base, finished in a satin black, so the prop can be easily viewed from all angles. The realism achieved in not only the action shots of the aircraft but the likeness of the portraits is simply faultless. The photo-realism is complete and Piers is justifiably proud of this piece which took a total of 140 hours of painting . Although the piece is for sale it is currently on loan to the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford run by John Romain. They are the worlds premier restorers of Spitfires and the prop proudly sits in the foyer.
 
You won’t find an airbrush painter like this…
PDP: High end bespoke paint for Helmets & Custom Bikes in Great Britain. A business started by Piers Dowell in 1991 that runs with the motto ”it costs what it costs to make the job as good as we can make it”. A passion run on quality first and foremost.Enth Degree: Exquisite customised pieces and fine art airbrushed to a level not available anywhere else in the world. A development of the hyper real mural work on Bikes Piers has perfected over 20 years and has a world wide reputation for. These pieces are unsurpassed in their quality and are totally unique.

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Contact Us

Piers Dowell Little Grafton, Bockleton,

Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire,

England,

WR15 8PT

Tel: 01568 750477
piers@piersdowell.com

Photorealism Art | Custom Airbrushing | Airbrush Artist – Piers Dowell

As a form of contemporary creative work, photorealism art stands apart from many other styles as one which engages with a particularly difficult set of standards. Accuracy is a chief quality of the style, as the ability to capture photorealistic scenes requires both a strong eye to detail and an ability to recreate form on both granular and macroscopic levels.

As a practitioner of photorealism art, Piers Dowell has distinguished himself by ably using his craft to create a distinctively accurate use of airbrushing in mixed media. Dowell often uses different forms to express several different forms of art simultaneously, for example. A work created as a tribute to the band Pink Floyd, for example, might include a Fender Stratocaster guitar as a canvas, a reference to guitarist David Gilmour’s use of the instrument.

Dowell’s use of motorcycles is another area of art in which he uses unorthodox “canvasses,” so to speak, to express himself. Dowell uses the motorcycle as a physical space for art and elevates the smooth lines of the machine to a work of art in itself. His airbrushed paintings are designed for both quality and aesthetic value and feature subject matter ranging from historical icons of motorcycling such as actor Steve McQueen to freewheeling actresses like Marilyn Monroe.

As with his use of motorcycles as physical canvasses, Dowell also creates tributes to other inspiring figures such as rock band The Rolling Stones and heroes of the Second World War’s Battle of Britain. Within Dowell’s work, there is a unifying sense of freedom and carefree attitude to the paintings that seems intended to match the physical and mental feeling of exhilaration that comes with activities such as motorcycling, rock music, or flying. The sense of sincerity with which his art is imbued is one of its key traits. His is not a cynical view but rather one of art as a form of freedom and liberation.

By using photorealism art to express himself, Dowell takes art to mean something both deeply personal and expressive of the wider culture in which he lives. His works are physical embodiments of the forms of technology that have granted liberation to many and as such have earned him praise from many satisfied clients.

Over twenty years as a career painter, Piers Dowell has established a healthy reputation for his beautiful photorealism art. Specializing in custom airbrushing, this artist brings professionalism and unique vision to each and every project. Not for the faint of heart, photorealistic art is an extremely demanding discipline. To qualify as photorealistic, images must be so exquisitely detailed that they are almost indistinguishable from real photographs. The invention of airbrushing heralded a new era of incredibly realistic paintings.
After completing more than 2700 artworks, Mr. Dowell has earned his place as a leader in the photorealistic airbrushing industry. A survey of Dowell’s work will demonstrate his ability to bridge the worlds of fine art and commercial design. The objects in this eclectic portfolio look equally at home in an art gallery or on the race track.

More than most other artists, custom airbrush artists must learn extreme adaptability. Industry leaders like Piers Dowell custom paint diverse objects like guitars, motorcycles and motorcycle helmets. In the world of photorealistic airbrushing, the possibilities are nearly endless. Though achieving mastery in this specialized art field is laborious, accomplished photorealism allows for incredible diversity and marketability. Essentially, Mr. Dowell can turn any non-porous surface into a canvas for unforgettable personalized images.

After so many years in the airbrushing business, Dowell’s abilities are a known quantity. Positive reviews for his original pieces are easy to come by. The artist’s many fans include motorsports celebrities like Jean Todt and Micheal Schumacher. Other prominent boosters include Matt Neal and Nicky Grist. Though based in Worcestershire, England, Dowell reaches out to art enthusiasts around the world.
Collectors of all kinds are willing to pay a premium for artworks of this calibre.

Differentiating himself from many other artists, Piers Dowell is an avid educator who enjoys sharing the joy of painting. Mr. Dowell gladly makes time in his schedule to provide valuable classes for aspiring artists. Any novice airbrush artist with real dedication can learn much from a qualified teacher like Piers Dowell. Ranging from two to five days in length, Powell’s educational classes help develop the next generation of great airbrush art.

Piers Dowell, the airbrush artist known the world over for his custom airbrushing masterpieces – with over 20 years of experience perfecting his skills in master grade photorealism art, he is one of the very few people alive today who can recreate life as it is meant to be enjoyed.

Even many of the most famous artists of our time cannot recreate such visually impressive and life-like masterpieces, making Piers Dowell’s work truly one of a kind, highly sought after and incredibly collectable.

Over the years there have been many requests, from custom bike paint jobs, to custom helmet painting, custom guitar paint jobs, footballs, murals, cars, propeller blades and more – the sheer range of items Piers can adapt his work onto is purely fascinating; if the item needing painting is non-porous, call for a quote and we will see what we can do for you.

PDP:

Starting PDP back in 1991, Piers began custom airbrushing bikes and helmets, totalling over 2,700 pieces of work being done since.
Striving for perfection on any job, he works to a quality, not a price.

To view some examples of Piers’ work, browse the gallery of custom motorbike helmets here.

Enth Degree:

With more than 20 years of perfecting his photorealism art, Piers has not only works on bikes and helmets, but everything and anything that is non-porous. Enth Degree was developed to encompass masterful work on anything the customer desires, from the interior of a yacht to footballs and guitars. If you are looking for an airbrush artist who can recreate your favourite musician, nature scene or photograph, then Enth Degree from Piers Dowell is exactly what you’re looking for!

Piers Dowell is a specialist airbrush artist, with a vast portfolio of photorealism art. Photorealism is the art of creating art in photographic quality so that artwork looks as close to a photograph as possible. This highly skilled field of art is a difficult field to master and Piers Dowell is a renowned airbrush artist offering custom airbrushing.

His impressive portfolio includes motorbiking helmets, custom designed guitars, bike chassis’, wildlife art, bikes and murals. For custom jobs, get in touch to see what he can do for you. Get a truly unique gift or custom made item by a skilled artist. Take a look at our blog and portfolio to browse past projects and get a feel for what we can offer you.

Piers Dowell also offers airbrushing lessons to budding artists, with two to five day courses available to learn tricks and techniques off the master of airbrushing. Learn a great deal about the art of airbrush art from one of the masters.

Piers Dowell is a highly skilled photorealist artist with a lot to offer customers and tutees. Take the time to browse and decide on your initial concepts which you would like from your airbrush artist.

For fine art and cutting edge contemporary design, visit Piers Dowell for the best band designs and more.

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