A princely pursuit
LOOKING back now at those first sketches I did, I am appalled by how bad they are,’ writes The Prince of Wales, whose exhibition of watercolours is currently at the restored Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks, London Sw1—new home of The Prince’s Foundation. He explains that he first took up painting because he found photography unsatisfying. ‘You discover so much more about [a scene] than by just pointing a camera… things like the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape. It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know. In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can’t reach.’
With 79 works, the exhibition is Prince Charles’s largest and subjects range from Scottish mountains to Provençal and Tanzanian scenery. Ben Hymers’s Abandoned cottage on the Isle of Stroma tapestry, made from The Prince’s original watercolour and usually on display at the Castle of Mey, will be shown alongside the paintings.
‘I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art,’ The Prince continues. ‘They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of “photographic album” and, as such, mean a great deal to me.’ Until February 14; https://princesfoundation.org/garrison-chapel