The King Connection … Henley Royal Regatta
NOW, while I recognise this may not be for everyone, art is such a personal choice after all, I love this particular painting.
In order to understand why, I need to give you a bit of context. If you are lucky, at some point in your life, you will come across an artist whose work you simply adore, one of my personal passions is the art of a former local artist, Jeremy King.
Added to this the subject matter of this painting resonates very well with me.
One of my sons is a rower and has been heavily involved in the Henley rowing scene for the last seven years or more.
He has competed at Henley Royal Regatta for a few years now and actually won an event there last year with his crew from Oxford Brookes University.
Now Jeremy King was born in Oundle in Northamptonshire in 1933 and showed a very early talent for drawing and painting. He studied at Lancaster and Morecambe College of Art and became an art and design teacher at Haymills School in Burnham near Slough until 1967 when he decided to follow his passion, retired from teaching and became a full-time artist.
Many of his works around the late 60’s and early 70’s were of riverside scenes, significant buildings or landscapes along the Berkshire section of The Thames and this is one of those.
He lived and breathed the Berkshire air and painted many scenes up and down the River Thames locally.
By the mid 1970’s he had made a name for himself nationally and internationally and he and his family decided to seek a more peaceful way of life and moved away to Cornwall. Prior to moving away, he had built a significant catalogue of, and love for many Berkshire scenes.
Jeremy King is a very successful artist with some of his work having been hung in The Tate Gallery and indeed many of his limited-edition prints are in The Tate’s print collection.
His style has changed somewhat over the years with his use of colour being his most notable change, possibly due to the influence of his wife, Brenda, who is also an artist and renowned for her vibrant colourful oil paintings.
Now this original oil painting, is of the Henley Royal Regatta. It depicts a crew having finished their race, pulling into the pontoon outside The Leander Club, ready to get out of the boat. Their coach awaits them on the pontoon and the finishing line of the regatta can be seen in the background.
The picture is only a small one but for me it completely conveys what the Henley Royal Regatta is all about.
Fit, healthy, mostly young men and women competing in a sport that is totally dependant upon their own skill, fitness and training.
No advantage through better equipment or other outside influences. If you win at Henley it is because you ARE the best!
This painting is available currently in my showroom or online, along with many others, and is a real bargain at only £800.
Alternatively, we now offer a leasing arrangement, so this can be rented for a small fixed monthly rental fee.
This piece, along with many other great works, is available to view, purchase or rent at AntiqArt, the “preloved art” gallery at Holme Grange Craft Village or online at www.antiqart.co.uk or call us on 0118 327 5421.