King Charles is said to be one of the UK’s most successful living artists. His paintings were first exhibited at Windsor Castle in 1977. The king prefers outdoor scenes and paints only in watercolor.
King Charles III has been painting for almost 50 years after he started when he was at school in Scotland. King Charles sits and sketches in Bhutan. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images King Charles began painting in the 1970s after being inspired by Robert Waddell, his teacher at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. The school has a 200 acre woodland campus and is within walking distance of the beaches of the Moray Firth. He works exclusively in watercolour, and his paintings were first exhibited at Windsor Castle in 1977. They were exhibited alongside works by Queen Victoria, herself an avid watercolourist, and the Duke of Edinburgh, painter and draftsman, whose sketches helped to creation of the stained glass windows in the private chapel of Windsor Castle. Many of his earlier works, such as this 1986 painting of Castle Mey, showed family homes. The castle was the home of the Queen Mother. A watercolor of Castle Mey, home of the Queen Mother, 1986. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images Castle Mey is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland. It was the home of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, the Queen Mother, with whom King Charles was particularly close. Many of his paintings were completed in Scotland, where he spent his youth and returns often. A painting of an abandoned cottage on Stroma Island, Caithness, Scotland. Max Nash: AFP via Getty Images He likes to paint on a lake in Helmsdale, Scotland, where he also fishes, according to The Telegraph. One of his favorite places to paint is Balmoral Castle, shown below. A watercolor of Balmoral Castle. Photo Library Tim Graham via Getty Images The royal, who has donated all profits from his artwork to the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund, prefers to paint outdoor scenes, favoring mountains, streams and the surrounding areas of the Queen’s Balmoral estate. Balmoral Castle is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was owned by Queen Elizabeth II until her death. The house was first bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852. Charles has painted many scenes around Balmoral, including those of the surrounding hills. The story continues Spittal of Glen Muic near Balmoral Castle. Photo Library Tim Graham via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth spent her summer holidays at Balmoral and it is believed to be her favorite residence. “I think grandma is the happiest there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands,” Princess Eugenie told the documentary Our Queen at Ninety. He said he prefers watercolors because they finish faster so he doesn’t have to wait too long for his security details, according to The Telegraph. Mountain scene painting by King Charles.David Cheskin: PA Images via Getty Images He taught some of Britain’s most famous artists, including John Napper, John Ward, Hugh Casson, Edward Seago and Derek Hill, according to The Telegraph. The king’s paintings have been featured in many exhibitions and charity events. Balmoral Winter Scene, 1998, left, and Ballochbuie Forest Balmoral, 2000.Yui Mok:PA Images via Getty Images After his first exhibition, King Charles continued to exhibit his work, which became hugely popular in the UK and abroad. Although he modestly refers to himself as an “enthusiastic amateur”, he earned around £2m from the sale of copies of his watercolors between 1997 and 2016, making him one of the country’s best-selling living artists, it said the Daily Telegraph in 2016. His work has been exhibited by the Royal Collection Trust. He also had a big exhibition at Buckingham Palace for his 70th birthday. ‘Lochnagar from the Gelder Cottage’, pictured below, was featured in the Royal Paintbox: Royal Artists Past and Present exhibition at Windsor Castle. “Lochnagar from the Gelder Cottage” by King Charles. Andrew Matthew: PA Images via Getty Images In 1980, he and Hugh Maxwell Casson published a children’s book, “The Old Man of Lochnagar”, which is about an old cave-dwelling man who meets a Scoticus, a bubble-blowing god of the sea. He showed many of his watercolors at a charity reception for International Nurses Day. The King in front of his watercolors at a reception for International Nurses Day. PA Images via Getty Images In 2018, he praised the “unsung” work of nurses and highlighted the work of those who treated victims of the Grenfell fire, in which 71 people died when a block of flats caught fire. King Charles has painted watercolors around the world, such as this one from 1989 of Double Haven Bay in Hong Kong. Double Haven Bay in Hong Kong by King Charles, 1989. KY Cheng/South China Morning Post via Getty Images In 1989, the former prince and his wife, Princess Diana, visited Hong Kong to open the Cultural Centre, a $600 million waterfront complex in Tsim Sha Tsui. He was also seen painting in Kyoto, Japan in 1986. King Charles paints in the garden of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. Tim Graham/Getty Images In 1986, King Charles and Princess Diana visited Kyoto, where they visited temples, Zen gardens and participated in a tea ceremony, according to the Los Angeles Times. The king has spent a lot of time in Switzerland, where he lives in the ski resort of Klosters and likes to paint beautiful mountain scenes. King Charles paints with watercolors in Klosters, Switzerland. Julian Parker: UK Press via Getty Images Klosters in Switzerland is King Charles’ favorite ski resort, according to the Daily Mail. Klosters liked his work so much that one of his paintings was used in an annual ski pass in 1997. Watercolor of Klosters, Switzerland, used for the ski pass for the 1997 season. Tim Graham/Getty Images In 2018, he celebrated 40 years of skiing in Klosters with a private party. In 1988 he narrowly escaped an avalanche there. The Daily Mail quoted him as saying: “I’ve never forgotten the sound of it. The whole mountain apparently exploding outwards… vast clouds of snow. I thought to myself Oh my God, the horror…” His works have been featured on stamps in the United Kingdom. King Charles’ “Ben Arkle Sutherland” appeared on postage stamps. The Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images In 1994, the Royal Mail honored the king by putting his watercolors on its stamps, including this painting of Mount Arkle in Sutherland, Scotland. Arkle is located in the northwest corner of the Scottish Highlands. Much of the mountain is made up of Cambrian quartzite, giving it a sparkling appearance when viewed up close. This British stamp shows Dersingham’s painting in Norfolk, England. His works have been printed on royal stamps. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images The royal family have a home in Dersingham where they often spend Christmas. Read the original article on Insider
