Robert King RI RSMA
30 September – 2 November 2016
“Sunlight, Shadows & Atmosphere” are all the hallmarks of a wonderful collection of new paintings by Robert King RI RSMA being shown at the Minster Gallery to celebrate his 80th Birthday, and represents the full spectrum of his abilities and breadth of subject matter.
Robert has always been interested in painting a wide variety of subjects using oils, watercolours, gouache and pastels portraying scenes from his much loved beaches and estuaries of the South Coast, the Isle of Wight and Norfolk to sporting events such as Cowes and Henley Regatta. From his travels to Southern Europe, India and the Middle East. He is able to capture the heat, light and life around him with his superb sense of colour and spontaneous technique. His figurative paintings of interiors and nudes are also greatly admired: they convey a wonderful sense of warmth and intimacy in their composition.
Robert was born in Leicester in 1936. He attended Leicester Art College before spending his two years of army service in Egypt but returning to finish his art degree. For many years, he worked as a shoe designer but always continued to paint and exhibit his work in Leicester, London and abroad.
His work has been shown over the years at a number of prestigious London galleries including the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute, London and the Paris Salon. He had his first solo show in 1970. In 1976, he became a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and in 1985 he was elected to the Royal Society of Marine Artists.
In March 2012, Robert was awarded the Turner Watercolour Award for outstanding paintings. This prize is given by the Turner bequest and divided equally between the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and the Royal Watercolour Society, where it is judged by the President and Vice President of each society together with the great great niece of Turner.