AMY IN ART!
NEW PIECE OF ART CELEBRATES YORKSHIRE AVIATION HEROINE, AMY JOHNSON!
On Sunday 3rd May, Croydon Airport will be hosting the next of its ever popular open days. The event will welcome the team of FLY: The Amy Johnson Festival of Inspiration and a very special opportunity for aviation and art lovers!
FLY Festival is busy working to raise funds for activities elevating the legacy of the incredible Amy Johnson, whose story cannot fail to inspire. As we head towards the 2030 centenary of Amy’s solo flight from England to Australia, FLY is hard at work to bring to life an exciting national event.
Part of their fundraising efforts includes the creation of a charming new painting, ‘Three Hours til Darwin’. The painting depicts Amy Johnson on her Croydon to Darwin flight, flying over the Timor Sea in her beloved Jason, a De Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane. Together, they’re closing in on Melville Island on the Western tip of Australia.
FLY Festival Creative Director and artist behind the painting, Jenny Lockyer, explained, ‘In her accounts of her flight Amy talks about how she and Jason flew over the Timor Sea, passed a British tanker, and spotted Melville Island in the distance. This was the moment she realised she was really going to make it, she was finally reaching her goal! It was such an emotional part of her adventure with Amy experiencing a mix of exhaustion and euphoria. I depict this moment in the show and I wanted to try and get the image I had of it in my head down on canvas’
The painting features Amy in her plane, small and fragile against a huge bank of cloud, approaching the tanker and heading towards the distant, sun drenched land of Australia. Giving the impression of flying alongside Amy on her adventure, Jenny hopes the artwork will appeal to fans of Amy and early flying pioneers, and aviation lovers alike. The original painting will be on display at the open day and mounted prints will be available to buy. All purchases will go towards supporting FLY Festival.
Historic Croydon Airport Trust have been running their very popular open days for years now, attracting visitors to this iconic Art Deco building, the UK’s first international airport and seat of modern aviation. In the golden age of flying pioneers, it was from this aerodrome that a string of international record breaking flights began including those of Amy Johnson, first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930.
The inclusion of Amy Johnson in the exhibition at Croydon Airport set performer, Jenny Lockyer, on a path to creating a one woman show inspired by Amy. This has led to over a decade of activity for Jenny, inspired by this remarkable young woman from Yorkshire. Jenny’s show, ‘Amy Johnson: Last Flight Out’, a host of school and community experiences, and now FLY: The Amy Johnson Festival of Inspiration exist to elevate Amy’s legacy and inspire audiences with her story.
TICKETS to the 3rd May Open Day at Croydon Airport here: https://www.historiccroydonairport.org.uk/opening-hours/