Bushmaster Crew

Bushmaster Crew
Oil on canvas board

2008
"One of the aims of my project was to create homages to the work of previous artists. This image is of the crew of an Infantry Mobility Vehicle known as The Bushmaster. Crewed by a driver and a crew commander, this vehicle is an Australian-made armoured vehicle that protects the troops within from small arms fire and explosive blasts from land mines and improvised explosive devices which are proving so lethal in the wars of insurgency."

"This image is reminiscent of Nora Heysen's work as shown below. Nora Heysen was the first female war artist commissioned by the AWM. Many of her images centered on women undertaking roles in the services. One of her more well known images was of LAC Florence Miles of the Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force entitled 'Transport Driver'. You can see the similarity of the poses."

Heysen, Nora

Transport driver (Aircraftwoman Florence Miles), Cairns QLD Australia, 1945

oil on canvas

66.6 x 81.8 cm

Australian War Memorial (ART24393)

Independent Productions and Aviation Services is the website of Conway Bown, Australian Army Official War Artist and Aviation Consultant. Services include portrait painting and other portraiture, aviation services such as CRM - Crew Resource Management - and Helicopter Underwater Escape Training - HUET - which may include Emergency Breathing Systems - EBS - training using Helicopter Aircrew Breathing Devices - HABD - or Helicopter Emergency Egress Device - HEEDs.

During 2006, Conway Bown deployed to the Middle East as the Australian Army's Official War Artist, what the US Armed Forces call Combat Artist. This website features the artwork created during this project as part of the Australian Army's Official Art Scheme.

For more information on War Art, Combat Artists, Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS) or Crew Resource Management (CRM), please visit the relevant webpages: