Send for the Artist - Maurice Conly: 54 Years as the Air Force Official Artist

As a child, Maurice Conly had two main passions: painting and flying. Whan he joined the RNZAF in 1941 to train as a pilot, it looked as though he would be leaving his art behind. However, a freak accident left Maurice unfit for active flying service and a chance visit to the offices of CONTACT, the RNZAF magazine, redirected his career. Before long he was able to combine painting and flying as the RNZAF Official Artist.

Maurice was to experience much of the Force's activities after all, travelling to wherever the RNZAF was serving - from Fiji and the Solomans to Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. In later years he recorded the Force's involvement in Antarctica and London and extended his skills to designing stamps and coins. But it is his work during the war for which he is most well known - for pictures of RNZAF personnel, the exotic locations they served in and, of course, the range of aircraft they flew.

Maurice narrated his memories to Squadron Leader Paul Harrison, and together they have compiled this facinating collection. Spanning over fifty years, these are the unique experiences of the Official Artist for the RNZAF.

- from the inside cover.

Published by Random House New Zealand Ltd, 1995.
Excellent secondhand condition.