Devon based artist Alan Cotton is always looking for new locations to inspire his work. He has travelled to Provence, Tuscany, Morocco, Ireland, Piemonte, Venice and with Sir David Hempleman-Adams as expedition artist to Mount Everest in Tibet on two occasions. He had never, however, visited the southern Hemisphere. So, when an invitation came from St James’s Palace asking him if he would like to join the, then Prince of Wales, (now King Charles lll), as his tour artist to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, it took Alan no time at all to accept the invitation. Preparations were made and they flew from RAF Brize Norton, first to Columbo, capital of Sri Lanka, following the devastating tsunami the previous December.
Alan remembers,
“We flew low across the landscape, as dawn was breaking, where hills appeared through the mist and rivers glinted in the early morning light.”
He was able to make a number of drawings and written notes, from which, later, he did the paintings of Sri Lanka back in his studio in Devon.
Alan records in his diary
“It was midnight in the UK when we touched down in Columbo, but over there it was 6am the following morning. Helicopters were waiting on the runway for the one-hour journey to Batticaloa, and as we flew low over the town, we could see the trail of destruction caused by the tsunami. The temple – a magnificent ornate structure – was split in half. For me it was a humbling experience – the fabric will be repaired, and donations for the appeal have been the largest ever – but the pain will be always in the peoples’ hearts – many have lost whole families, and none remains unscarred. I spoke to many people, including one man who had lost three of his children. The Prince’s visit gave everyone there an ‘uplift’. He has the ability to put people at their ease and communicates easily – a great skill.”
In Australia, the Royal party visited five places, Perth, Alice Springs, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, with short stays in each, but nevertheless, Alan was able to do a series of drawings, as they travelled around and was particularly impressed with the botanical gardens in Melbourne.
Alan, as part of a group of six, travelled to all the events with His Royal Highness. The artist remarked, that it was a great learning experience. For him, the highlight of the royal visit to Melbourne, was the reception at Timbertops, where, as a young student, the Prince of Wales spent two terms in the sixties.
Alan said, “A number of Prince Charles’ old school chums were there, and His Royal Highness gave an informal and very amusing account of his time there.”
In Sydney they travelled by river to a new housing development, passing the Sydney Opera House and gliding under Sydney Harbour Bridge. Here, and again, when they visited the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Cancer Unit, HRH received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowds.”
In late afternoon they arrived at the capital, Canberra and stayed at Government House. One of the high spots was the visit to the Australian War Memorial, a long building open to the sky with the aisles listing every Australian whose life was taken by war.
Alan remembers that “Touchingly, thousands of families and friends had attached poppies to the names of their loved ones creating a peppered design of red against the marble columns. We were told that this is the most visited monument in Australia.”
Their next stop was Dunedin, and here, on New Zealand’s South Island, Alan at last found the wild landscape that he longed for, to inspire him. At Tairoa Head, what exited him most, were the albatrosses, soaring above the cliff edge, riding the themals and then sweeping down to sea level. When the Royal party moved on, Alan was asked if he would like to stay and work there. The Royal Albatross Colony was not accessible to the public at that time, as the birds were breeding, but under the watchful eye of a warden, Alan spent several hours observing these magnificent birds and making many drawings.
He said, “To see these graceful birds, with a wingspan of three metres, gliding along the cliff tops and being lifted by the thermals, was a joyful experience.” The swirling waters below, also inspired Alan to draw and paint them.
He then re-joined the others for a flight to a sheep farm, where shearing was in progress.
Alan recalls “Prince Charles was offered the shears and despite his formal attire of suit and tie, he valiantly ‘had a go’, much to the delight of the ever-present photographers and TV cameramen.”
The welcome in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, was spectacular. Navy, Army and Air Force troops lined the runway, bands were playing, and a group of Māori warriors performed a ceremony for greeting strangers.
The final stay in New Zealand was in Auckland where the royal party attended a reception at the New Zealand branch of The Prince’s Trust,
Alan said “I was moved to hear two young people describe how, after being heavily into drugs and attempts at suicide, they had been rescued by the Prince’s Trust and their lives saved and transformed. Listening to these articulate young people brought the work of the trust strongly into focus for me.
The landscape of Fiji was particularly inspiring for Alan and provided a rich source of material, Their arrival was heralded by a colourful tribal display, followed by a vibrant village ceremony of welcome, where thousands lined the route, cheering and waving flags.
Alan says, “No-where on this tour had we been greeted with such exuberance and enthusiasm, and it was obvious that they have tremendous affection for our Royal Family. We then entered a sacred area, where His Royal Highness was offered a drink of cava made from water and the juice of squeezed yagona roots, and he was expected to empty the bowl. As we left the ceremony, hundreds of school children lined the road and despite a sudden monsoon thunderstorm they remained standing, waving and cheering along the entire route.”
For his work as tour artist, Alan was given a driver, who took him into the mountains and to his own village, where the artist was warmly welcomed. Here he did many drawings including the driver’s tethered ox. He said, “The weather was stormy, but there were brilliant passages of sun, when the landscape came to life and from my watercolours and drawings, I made a great number of paintings back in my studio in Colaton Raleigh, in Devon.”
He said “I would love to have spent more time in Fiji, but all too soon, it was time to leave and take the long twenty-seven-hour flight back to England. Travelling as a tour artist, was a great privilege and a unique experience and gave me a tremendous insight into just how much time and energy King Charles expends on these strenuous Royal Tours.”
In 2025 it is forty years, since His Majesty, the King, when Prince of Wales, first took a tour artist with him, to record impressions of the trip. The King has paintings from the tour artists, in his personal collection and to mark this anniversary, a selection of work from these, will be on exhibition in Buckingham Palace ballroom. This exhibition will be part of the tour of the state rooms, when the palace opens to the public, from 10th July to 28th September 2025
Tickets can be booked online at. https://www.rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace
Despite the hectic schedule, of Alan’s tour with King Charles, he managed to gather a wealth of material and the following autumn, all the paintings from the tour were exhibited at David Messum Fine Art, in their Cork Street Gallery. All current available paintings by Alan Cotton can be found by visiting the website: messums.com, or viewed at the gallery, David Messum Fine Art, 12, Bury Street St James, London SW1Y 6AB Tel. 020 7287 4448