Tim Scott Bolton

painting of rivers has played a significant role in his work as
an artist. A river could be considered a thread that connects
the different phases of his life. His pictures both stand alone
in their own right and simultaneously convey a knowledge
and understanding of the ways of a river, executed with an
angler’s eye.
Luck has it that when painting a river there is often an
opportunity to fish, but the two do not always coexist. Many
a time the splash of a salmon or trout rising nearby has
interrupted his concentration and the trance- like state which
takes over when a painting is going well.
He considers himself to be a lucky man to be able to paint
and make it his life. That urge to draw and paint has, from his
earliest memory, been important to him but it took a while
before he made it his career. He started as a land agent and
while working in Kenya valuing farms, but painting in his
spare time, he had his first exhibition at the Tryon gallery in
Nairobi in 1972. Eventually he became a full-time artist in
1984. Some thought it ‘a brave move’, but most considered it
foolhardy for someone with three young children a dog and a
mortgage. However, he has not regretted it for a moment, a
new world of opportunity opened up and now in his reflective
years, he has written several books. ‘A Brush with Rivers’ is
partly autobiographical, a rich and amusing reminiscence of a
fulfilled life drawing on his extensive diaries.
His love of landscape pervades his work and his first book, ‘A
Brush with Brown’ gave him a perfect excuse to paint some
of the great English country houses and parks.
Travel to him has been an alixir vitae and he and his wife have
taken many Painting tours to India and Europe. He has also
accompanied HM King Charles III on three Royal tours in the
near East and Europe.