Painting on a steel canvas

Travelling in Europe last summer was a great way to be exposed to lots of art. I have developed a new appreciation for it and recently watched a documentary on art made during wartime. It was really interesting! The part that surprised me the most is when they showed pictures of specially decorated military vehicles. During the First World War, some tanks were painted with the maple leaf, years before this symbol was selected to be on Canada’s flag. These artists were visionaries!

In the Second World War, many different drawings were done on planes. There were so many that there was even a name for that: nose art. Some planes proudly displayed the squadron’s emblems, while others had mythical creatures like dragons or famous cartoons like Bugs Bunny. Special camouflage patterns were also painted on ships, to make them less visible to the enemy.

The tradition of military art continues today and I was amazed by the talent of artists who painted cool images on Canadian helicopters that flew in Afghanistan. Keep up the creativity!