“Aviation was my first artistic love,” says William S. Phillips, “but my true, enduring love remains my Christian faith, home and family. So it is my pleasure to combine all of it in my work. The historical aviation subjects, I research; the contemporary and nostalgic subjects, I live.”

Phillips grew up loving art but never thought he could make it his livelihood. At college he majored in criminology, and he had been accepted into law school when four of his paintings were sold at an airport restaurant. That was all the incentive he needed to begin his work as a fine art painter.

Bill Phillips is now the aviation artist of choice for many American heroes and the nostalgic landscape artist of choice for many collectors. Bill’s strengths as a landscape painter are what gave him an edge in the aviation field: respect and reverence for a time and place. When one sees his aviation pieces, thoughts are about the courageous individuals who risked their lives for our freedom. In Bill’s nostalgic works, the viewer understands fully what that freedom is... the precious values that make life worth living.

After one of his paintings was presented to King Hussein of Jordan, Phillips was commissioned by the Royal Jordanian Air Force. He developed sixteen major paintings, many of which now hang in the Royal Jordanian Air Force Museum in Amman. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum presented a one-man show of Phillips’ work in 1986; he is one of only a few artists to have been so honored.

In 1988, Phillips was chosen to be a U.S. Navy combat artist. For his outstanding work, the artist was awarded the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Award and the Air Force Sergeants Association’s Americanism Medal. In 1991, three of Phillips’ works were chosen as part of the top 100 in “Art for the Parks,” the prestigious annual fund-raiser for the National Park Service, and one painting received the “Art History Award” from the National Park Foundation.

William S. Phillips Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Print "Into the Arms of the Dragon"

The Doolittle Raid on Japan was always designed as a one way mission: from the carrier to friendly airfields in China by way of Tokyo. Due to early discovery by Japanese picket boats, Captain David Jones and the rest of Crew 5 (aircraft 02283) left the deck of the USS Hornet knowing their one-way trip was perilously shorter. They knew that their B-25 did not have the range to make those friendly airfields, and getting to the China coast or past Japanese-occupied China would take great skill and uncommon luck. At a small break in the cloud cover over Chu Chow the members of Crew 5, who could coax their aircraft no further, left the plane, trusting their parachutes, the wind and the Chinese people to lead them to safety.

In Chinese folklore the lóng, or dragon, symbolizes all that is good: abundance, prosperity, good fortune, nobility, and divine protection, as well as the Chinese people themselves. The dragon is believed to be the benevolent guardian of water, as well as life-giving rain and storms. As they tumbled into the stormy night sky, David Jones and his crew entrusted their safety—and their lives—to the arms of the dragon.

The Chinese paid dearly for the aid and shelter they provided to American soldiers. In the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, Japanese forces killed an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians as retaliation and intimidation to prevent further assistance of American soldiers. The brave sacrifices of the Chinese saved many lives and solidified the American people in their determination to succeed. William S. Phillips inspiring new limited edition Into the Arms of the Dragon pays tribute to the combined efforts of two nations. Both the Fine Art Limited Edition Giclée Canvas and Fine Art Limited Edition Giclée Print of this spectacular image have been signed by surviving members of Doolittle’s Raiders.

This 25" by 19-1/2" Image Size Limited Edition Print, edition size 350, is signed by the artist and co-signed by surviving members of Doolittle's Raiders.

It is also available in the following format:

30" by 24" Limited Edition Canvas, edition size 200 - $995.00

All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.

All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.