Painting moments in time

 Hello! I am a professional artist and painter of the city of Bath’s streets and architecture and of the people in it.

I was named Charles after King Charles III, having been born on the day that he was married to Diana Spencer on 29th July 1981. I’m often referred to by my given name, but also just “Charlie”.

My love of the city goes back to my childhood, when my mother would take me on day trips to Bath, at a time when many of the buildings were still covered in soot. As a boy I was in awe of this beautiful city, rich in architecture and resplendent with its Abbey, old shops and magnificent crescents and parks.

I enjoy painting all kinds of subjects, both ones that interest me, and commissions for other people. It is something I have always naturally been able to do. I don’t work in a studio as I need the natural light and ‘real’ inspiration of being outside (plein air) with all of the interesting and often unexpected events and challenges that contribute to my finished works of art.

I like to paint architectural subjects, people’s homes and gardens, and I like to paint people also, especially more personal projects such as my ‘woman in blue’. 

I only started painting again during lockdown when I remembered a teenage promise to myself that I would take up painting once again, (I abandoned my art studies due to pressures of other subjects and the belief that I needed to get a ‘proper job’). In the background the artist was always within me – I became an amateur ballroom dancer and even began teaching dance as well as competing, (a subject I plan on painting), before once again picking up my paintbrush.

The early years

I grew up on a a dairy farm in the village of Yatton Keynell, near Chippenham, run by my father and grandfather. I would draw things that I saw, old tractors and hedgerows – and discovered I had a gift for capturing form. At school I caused a stir at aged five when I painted a barn owl in flight on black paper (always ambitious!) At around age 10 I bought a postcard of the village of Castle Combe which had been painted and since I had been given a set of watercolours for my birthday, I endeavoured to do my first painting, copying the image from the postcard. Having completed this picture, but feeling that the colours were not quite right and it was not the best view of this beautiful Cotswold village and wanting to try again I decided to do another painting. But this time I would put my paints and brushes and paper in my panier on my bike and cycle there, being just a couple of miles away. I painted the view of Castle Combe looking up the main street across the bridge.

Following this and adjacent to my school art studies I carried on painting in watercolours choosing subjects in my village – the Pub, the Church and the Farmhouse. My aunt would then ask me to paint a picture of all three subjects in a montage… my first commission!

At University I decided to study French Language, and History of Art and following my return to Wiltshire I imagined myself painting pictures in the centre of the City of Bath – but I would not have the confidence to paint plein air, in full view of the public until years later, perhaps helped by the experience of being scrutinized by judges on the dance floor at Blackpool!

Having a particular interest in architectural subjects and always ambitious, I was keen to tackle Bath Abbey first, quickly followed by the other tourist spots – Pulteney Bridge and The Royal Crescent – then delving deeper into the side alleys and adjacent streets. I was very fortunate to find customers for my first pieces of work, some of which took me several weeks to complete. Later I would begin to sell prints of my work to tourist on busy days in the  City Centre. 

Royal Events

Fast forward to the passing of our late Queen Elizabeth II and I was in the middle of painting the largest picture I had done (40×40 inches) of Bath Abbey Churchyard when the sad news came. I decided to paint a portrait of her from the 1953 Coronation photographs – a relaxed image of her looking directly at the camera. I took the painting to Windsor where I would also paint a picture of the crowds in front of Windsor Castle. 

The following year I painted on The Mall in the days leading up to the Coronation, and also at The Trooping of the Colour on the day King Charles III came to inspect the troops.

I am looking forward to more trips to London and elsewhere to cover Royal events, and also to many other projects focusing on people in landscapes, as I continue with my .Bath Bucket List’.