Charles Burton

'Charlie' was born in 1929 in Treherbert/Rhondda, South Wales. Despite times being tough so shortly after the 1926 General Strike, Burton grew up in a happy environment. His grandmother's house was across the bridge from the Ynysefio Colliery in Treherbert. From 1946 to 1951 he studied at Art College in Cardiff, and after National Service in 1953 he went to the Royal College in London, until 1956; not having a grant to start off with, he had to live by selling paintings. However, after his first year in London he won a Royal Scholarship and his fees were waived. He belonged to the so-called Rhondda Group, a loose grouping of art students who travelled on the same train to Cardiff every morning and used the occasion for discussion and argument. In 1956 he became head of painting at Liverpool College of Art and in 1970 head of art at the Polytechnic of Wales in Barry. When he retired from teaching he devoted himself entirely to painting; he has his studio in Penarth, Glamorganshire.

Artist's Statement regarding the so-called Rhondda Group: "That was the group of people from the Rhondda in the Fifties who were art students in Cardiff. We were all fanatical about painting. We caught the same train down from the valleys to Cardiff daily, because we did not board in Cardiff. These journeys were very important for us…..we spent two hours a day in the train compartment, talking about painting and looking at the drawings and the pictures that we had done. And discussing art at every level we could. We were fanatically keen and I suppose it had some kind of impact", (Excerpts quoted from Tony Curtis' book Welsh Painters Talking and his conversation with Charles Burton).

Ernest Zobole wrote about Burton in 1990: "His work over the years has covered a range of subject matters and just as wide a range of mood, and whatever the shift of pursuit in his work the constant has been total committment and professionalism"

Prof. Dai Smith commented in 2000: "Charles Burton's aim is to make you see 'through' the subject matter of his paintings until their formal composition of shapes and colours is understood as their true meaning".

John Banks in 2000: "Seeing successive versions of Charlie's paintings develop was a memorable revelation - a bit like watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis".

Teaching Experience: 1956-70 head of painting at Liverpool College of Art; 1970-80 head of art at the Polytechnic of Wales in Barry.

Awards: 1954 Gold Medal (Fine Art) at the National Eisteddfod; scholarships from Glamorgan County, Cardiff College & Royal College of Art; travelling scholarships from Liverpool Council of Education and Gulpenkian; British Council Painter in Yugoslavian International Art Colony; 2004 Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glamorgan.

Commissions: 1982 illustrating the book "A Taste of the Belgian Provinces" with 10 ink drawings, by Enid Gordon & Midge Shirley (publ. The Theesday Group).

Public Collections: National Museum & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff; Newport Museum & Art Gallery; Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Swansea; BBC Wales, Cardiff; Welsh Arts Council; Contemporary Arts Society Wales; House of Lords; Department of the Environment; Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery, Brecon.

International Links:
awards abroad= 1959 Gulbenkian Travelling Scholarship; 1969 Liverpool Council of Education INC travel scholarship; 1982 British Council Painter in Yugoslavian International Art Colony.
exhibitions abroad= 1970 mixed exhibition in Sete/France (with ceramecists); 1979 British Council exhib.in Brussels (solo).

Principal dealer: Martin Tinney Gallery Cardiff.