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Portrait commission: David King of Princess Yachts
There are certain portrait commissions you dream about. Apart from those fantasy commissions, closer to home, a portrait which married my love of the sea with portraiture was always something I'd hoped for.
When Princess Yachts contacted at Christmas, it was too good to be true. They were looking for a portrait artist to capture their founder and former CEO, David King, for posterity.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to paint David from life. I had hoped to paint him at the home of the company in Plymouth, preferably surrounded by their beautiful yachts.
The search was on for photos of David, to use as a reference for the portrait. Luckily, there was one I considered perfect. It told the story of the company, right down to including the building where it all began in Stonehouse Creek. It included yachts under construction outside the factory.
I used the photo as the basis of the portrait commission but cropped the original image and played with the colour a little.
More than anything, I wanted to produce a painting rather than a copy of a photograph. The final portrait is complex but whilst appearing detailed has been simplified and edited. I wanted to create a real sense of depth and space.
David is asking us to join him on a voyage into the future of Princess Yachts. This is where it began, with him at the helm. 'Where to now?'
Adrian Batt who commissioned the portrait with Christine Potts, see it as a legacy painting for the company. It illustrates the story of Princess Yachts, putting David King at the heart of the matter, past, present and future.
I first presented the finished portrait to the company on 26th June 2026. The reaction was very moving to witness. As the directors viewed the painting, they found it 'very moving' and 'emotional' as well as being 'fantastic'. It was a very special experience for me.
Overall, I think the most surprising part of the whole experience for me was the constant reference to emotion and feeling by the directors. In such a technical and corporate environment, the emphasis on family values and the emotion required to both buy and sell a yacht was not what I had expected.