Looking for Trouble by Robert Taylor

When Hitler invaded Poland the British found themselves at war – and isolated. Desperate for new fighters and with production at full capacity they turned to the US aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation who were convinced they had the answer for Britain’s needs and within the space of just four months the company had their new machine in the air! The Mustang was a triumph – testament to its designer Edgar Schmued, and the people who built it.

It was fast, manoeuvrable, hard-hitting and, by the time it was combined with Rolls-Royces’ legendary Merlin engine, was capable of outperforming anything the enemy could throw at it. When P-51s first appeared in the skies over Berlin, Hermann Goering was reported to have announced that he knew then the war was lost.

A special new breed of men flew the Mustang as the Allies pushed for victory in Europe. Tough, supremely confident, determined, and gloriously brave; it was an era that belonged to them and the P-51 helped produce some of the greatest Aces of WWII. Such iconic pilots as George Preddy, John Meyer, Don Blakeslee, Kit Carson and Bud Anderson scored all or most of their victories in this thoroughbred fighter.

To honor the heroic pilots who flew and fought in this iconic machine, Robert Taylor has chosen this classic portrait, completed with all of his usual mastery of his craft, in tribute to all USAAF units that flew the Mustang.

Set against a dramatic bank of clouds, Looking for Trouble bears all the hallmarks of a timeless Taylor masterpiece. P-51Ds of the 352nd Fighter Group with full long-range tanks slung under their wings, head out from their forward base in Belgium on an extended sweep east of the Rhine crossing on the lookout for enemy aircraft, in the spring of 1945.

Signatures:

Limited Edition - 2 signatures
Each print in every edition is individually numbered and personally signed by the artist, together with two prominent pilots who flew the P-51 in Europe during WWII:

Captain JAMES L. BROOKS - 31st Fighter Group / 13 victories

Lieutenant Colonel WALTER M. DRAKE - 479th Fighter Group / 1 victory

Collectors Edition - 8 signatures:
Each print in these editions has been signed by these veterans of the war in Europe:

Captain JAMES L. BROOKS - 31st Fighter Group / 13 victories

Lieutenant Colonel WALTER M. DRAKE - 479th Fighter Group / 1 victory

Major General WAYNE C. GATLIN - 356th Fighter Group / 1 victory

Colonel JOSEPH H. JOINER - 4th Fighter Group / 3 ½ victories

Lieutenant JOSEPH W. CANNON - 357th Fighter Group

Lieutenant Colonel JAMES E. CARL - 354th Fighter Group

Brigadier-General FRANK L. GAILER - 357th Fighter Group / 5 ½ victories

Lieutenant Colonel HUIE H. LAMB - 78th Fighter Group / 2 ½ victories

Tribute Edition - 14 signatures
With all the signatures of the Collector’s Edition, each print is issued with a unique pencil drawing exclusively created by Robert Taylor. Individually signed by four renowned P-51 pilots, each drawing is conservation matted to include the original signatures of two more Mustang Aces.

Colonel CLARENCE ‘BUD’ ANDERSON - 357th Fighter Group / 16 ¼ victories

Lieutenant Colonel CLYDE B. EAST - 10th Photo-Reconnaissance Group / 14 ½ victories

Colonel CHARLES E. McGEE - 332nd Fighter Group / 1 victory

Brigadier-General ROBIN OLDS - 479th Fighter Group / 17 victories

The matted signatures:

Colonel JAMES GOODSON - 4th Fighter Group / 30 victories

Major RICHARD ‘BUD’ PETERSON - 357th Fighter Group / 15 ½ victories