Customer Reviews

R.G. Smith: The Man and His Art: An Autobiography (Schiffer Military History)

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I first saw this book at Tailhook at the booth where R.G.'s daughter was selling prints of his art. She wasn't selling the book just had it for reference. My order came quickly once I got back and used the same gift credit card I had used for the conference. It expanded on a theme that his daughter had stopped me on when I said "R.G. Smith was one of the finest draftsmen of our time. He ranks with Leo Goosen who was also from Long Beach." She took it in the vocational sense and resisted saying "he always said he was a configuration man." The book makes clear what he meant by that phrase which I had actually heard from him in real life before I had fully formed my opinon of all artists draftsmanship. There is more in the book including comments about his interest in the Civil War which would encompass the works of the offical Lockheed-Martin painter who did "The General" and other Southern sympathetic paintings. I learned he lived on Palos Verdes Penninsula which would put him with R.C.P.Jackson the Vice President of Plans and Alan H. Noll who lived in Rolling Hills nearby. John Brizendine, the President of Douglas, lived in Rossmoor a much less dramatic community and Hal Walker, Vice President, Military marketing, lived in Executive Estates just across Carson from the plant. A lot of life in this book. Interestingly, the print I bought, "Two TA-4's over Lady Lex", is not in the book. I remember when he retired and came to me and shook my hand to say goodbye. There is a lot in the book after that time to bring me up to date. The years before I arrived in 1965 during and just after WW-II have a major part when R.G. did the overall layouts of the designs of Ed Heineman are well represented. Some description of his work making inboard profiles covers a type of drafting that has always been amazing to me.

If you want to find the Best of Aviation Art and one of its Great people, look no further. We were privleged to have him among us. If we wanted to show our young artists and children a great example of what can be acomplished with dedication and work this is the guy. The world needs more R.G. Smith's in all walks of life.