An online talk with artist Suhail Shaikh

Self-taught artist Suhail recounts what brought him to express his imagination in paper and how his passion for aviation leads him to build planes that tell stories. He explains how he researched and built the Sefton Spitfire AB273 currently on display in the Courage & Devotion exhibition.

Suhail Shaikh is a self-taught paper artist. As a little boy in India, his grandmother helped him make his own toys from scratch. Paper and cardboard recovered from discarded packaging was easy, fun and quick to manipulate. From making his own toys, he moved on to making detailed model airplanes.

As an aviation artist who has also had a 20-year career as a professional designer, Suhail is passionate about aviation and has a soft-spot for British aviation achievements. He is fascinated by the stories that form the backdrop to historical aircraft and is an admirer of the design philosophy of the time. Looking beyond the destructive purpose of military aircraft, his creations celebrate the original designers’ instinctive grasp of flight and their pure technical genius.

This online talk was first presented 11 August 2021 as part of The Atkinson’s ‘Object of the Month’ series of free talks.

Our current exhibition, Courage & Devotion, remembers the lives of the Polish Airmen based at RAF Woodvale, the iconic Spitfire and some of the stories associated with the area during World War 2. Until 12 March 2022.

Posted on 25 August 2021 under Exhibition, Video