Charles J. Thompson GAvA, ASAA

Born in Poona, India in 1930, Charles J. Thompson  is recognised for his most distinctive style, based on his personal wish to observe and capture light.

After leaving school in 1949, Charles joined the Ford Motor Company as a trainee draughtsman, transferring to the Styling Department after National Service. Over the course of the next 30 years Charles was involved with the styling of cars such as the Mk.I Cortina, the Corsair and the Mk.IV Zephyr/Zodiac. Upon taking early retirement in 1986 he chose to devote all his time to painting. Despite having worked in the car industry, aviation had always been his first love since childhood, designing, building & flying models and also drawing & sketching them. He had previously began to paint in oils in 1978.

In 1981 he joined the Guild of Aviation Artists (GAvA) and by 1984 had been elected a Full Member. He has held numerous positions within the group, culminating in a tenure as Chairman from 1997 to 1999. He was a regular exhibitor at Guild exhibitions and had work accepted for every one of the Guild's annual London exhibitions from 1981 to 2013, winning numerous awards in the process.

In 1988, Charles was elected an Artist Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA) and again had a long string of exhibition appearances.. As in Britain, Charles would win multiple awards with the ASAA, including the prestigious "James V. Roy Award" for the best painting in show in 1999 & 2003. 

He has also won awards with the Canadian Aviation Artists, at the Simuflite Art Exhibitions and holds full membership of the Guild of Motoring Artists while also being a Master Artist of the Experimental Aircraft Association after winning 4 Par Excellence awards.

Charles' book “Wings”, was published by Pan Books in 1991 and his long friendship with aviation historian Roy Conyers Nesbit has seen his paintings used in many publications and books worldwide.

He is now fully retired and we are honoured to be able to sell his remaining originals and print a number of greetings cards showing his paintings.