​

Born in Edinburgh, Charles is a graduate from the Glasgow School of Art. His grandfather was an accomplished artist and won prizes for his art in 1897 from the Glasgow Master Painters Association - family legend has it that he ‘hung out’ in Montmartre, Paris in the early 1900’s.

Charles has always painted and now spends most of his time capturing the landscape of his homeland , especially the West Coast of Scotland from his base in Argyll where he has had many connections over the years although he cannot resist the draw of Italy, the Caribbean and Dance.

His painting style is direct, unfused brush strokes and knife work, usually on canvas creating what he calls ‘statement pieces’ of a reasonable size where the contrasting textures reflect the reality of the scene and the reality of nature’s colour palette in front of him - avoiding any artificiality in creating the image.

“I aim to capture real places and moments in time - creating a window on another place which the viewer will find uplifting and be able to return to it for a visual, mental or spiritual ‘refresh’ - especially when it is sky, sea or beaches and the combination of all three. I do believe that we are ‘hardwired’ in our genes to receive a calming energy from these locations - probably they meant ‘safety and security’ (relaxation) to our ancestors in their dim and distant past and perhaps a painting can also deliver that resonance?’

Charles has work in galleries throughout the UK as well as paintings bought and exported to several states in the USA.