Benjamin Holmes

Growing up in Biggin Hill in Kent, Ben was deeply inspired by the constant presence of aircraft and the rich history of the area. This lifelong passion for flight eventually motivated him to earn private and commercial pilot licences, allowing him to experience the skies from the cockpit as well as on canvas.

Ben joined the Guild of Aviation Artists in 2019, winning the Arthur Gibson Memorial Trophy for best painting by a first-time exhibitor, and Wilkinson Sword Poignard in 2023 for best work in oils by a Full or Associate Member. Taking inspiration from vintage and historical photography, Ben routinely integrates the pilots, ground crews, and mechanical operations into his pieces to anchor the machine to human narrative, adopting an expressive, loose, and impressionistic style to focus on movement, atmosphere, and light.

Recently, Ben’s profile within the British preservation community was cemented by his contribution to the Hawkinge, Kent aviation heritage. In June 2026, his oil painting depicting the seven pilots of No. 32 Squadron relaxing on the grass at RAF Hawkinge on 29 July 1940 was permanently introduced into the Stuart-Buttle Memorial Hangar at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust. The canvas serves as a companion painting to the museum's renowned "Spirit of The Few" monument.