Gordon King and his latest artwork

Born on 6 June 1939, Gordon spent most of his early childhood on the Fife coast of Scotland before moving south of the border to Reading in Berkshire.

As a child his talent came to the fore early on by winning several major art competitions. After leaving school he concentrated on commercial illustration, undergoing training at Carlton Studios in London whilst studying life drawing and painting at Reading University.

In his early 20's he went freelance, illustrating for major magazines and advertising agencies. Gradually he built up the commission side of his work by painting portraits and exhibiting his work until in the mid 70's he gave up illustration work altogether to enable him to concentrate full-time on his paintings which at that time were predominantly in oils. Success came quite rapidly, showing at the R.A. Summer Shows and later in the R.I. Exhibitions, painting mostly figurative subjects.

His paintings of girls in natural surroundings soon became his trade mark and the popularity of the watercolours in the early 80's together with the success of first published prints gave his career a big boost. His limited edition prints and silkscreens are now published by Washington Green and sold worldwide.

In 1995, his book "A Romance with Art" was published, with a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal, featuring a wide range of his oils and watercolours, following which he embarked on a promotional tour of the country exhibiting many of the paintings from the book.

Gordon lives and works in his studio in Buckinghamshire which provides the backdrop for many of his paintings. He has major one-man shows, exhibiting worldwide, and has been featured on radio and television. He is also actively involved in charitable work, having supported various charities including projects for Save The Children Fund and the BBC's Children In Need Appeal, when he painted live in front of an audience.