Seen a lot of this guys prints when I lived in eastern Oregon. All the prints were of a small town in rural America, a kind of nostalgic 1940s feel to them. The one thing every print had in common is that there was always a small WWII aircraft somewhere in the background. One print was of a school house in winter, with children playing outside, in the background a P38 Mustang flying. I just cant remember the artists name.
William Phillips paints a lot like you describe.
It may not be him you are thinking of, but his prints are worth looking at.