“The Old Instructor ~ SNJ Texan,” an original acrylic painting by Susan A. Walton, S.A. Walton Studio, Hudson, Florida.

This was an old and handsome SNJ training plane that I saw at Spirit Airport near St Louis back when I was studying aerospace engineering and was always taking any opportunity to go to fly-ins and air shows with other students. The shows were great opportunities to get references for the artwork which I was using to help finance my education without accumulating debt.

I saw this classic airplane on display and photographed it from various angles, then filed the photos away for the proverbial rainy day.

Years later, the rainy day came. I found the reference photos in my files at a time when I had been painting murals of prehistoric peoples, and needed a change of pace. So, this artwork was painted as an exercise, and also because aircraft are just naturally very fun, attractive subjects for me, even when they aren’t in flight.

I really regret not getting the painting digitally scanned before it sold, but life happens. The person who purchased it as a gift for her husband went away happy, which is all that matters. The two were great characters to get to know, and very much in love with one another.

I am also not 100% sure about the size anymore; I believe it was roughly 3 feet in width.