Robert Brindley, from Linstock near Carlisle, exhibited five pieces at the Royal Society of Marine Artists’ (RSMA) annual show at the Mall Galleries, selling three during the event.
Mr Brindley said: “It’s a real honour. It’s right up there.
“Obviously it’s a Royal Society and it’s in the Mall Galleries in London.
“It’s extremely prestigious and it opened doors for me with galleries and all sorts of things.”
A full member of the RSMA since 1997, Mr Brindley has spent four decades as a professional artist, earning recognition for his marine scenes, landscapes, and especially his recent works capturing Venice.
One of Mr Brindley’s paintings of Venice. (Image: Robert Brindley)
The artist moved to Cumbria from Whitby around eight years ago and currently lives in Linstock, having moved there from Scotby two years ago.
The region has since become a source of artistic inspiration.
He said: “We decided to move to Cumbria where I could get different landscape scenery as well as being very close to the coast.
“I lived in Whitby before and obviously I was surrounded by the coast there, but moving here gave me both.”
One of Mr Brindley’s landscapes. (Image: Robert Brindley)
While his work is shown nationally, Mr Brindley often paints scenes from across Cumbria, including Carlisle, Whitehaven, and stretches of the county’s coastline.
He said: “I’ve painted lots and lots of paintings in and around Carlisle, and they go quickly.
“I’ve done scenes around Whitehaven and the estuary there and they sold quickly too.”
Robert Brindley at work. (Image: Robert Brindley)
Becoming a full member of the RSMA remains one of Mr Brindley’s proudest professional moments.
He said: “It was just tremendous.
“We were going on holiday the next day, so it made that holiday even more special.
“It’s one of the best things that’s happened to me professionally.”
A painting of a Swaledale sheep by Mr Brindley. (Image: Robert Brindley)
In addition to exhibiting, he has served as the society’s archivist for the past 15 years, handling enquiries from around the world about paintings, former exhibitions, historic members and marine art research.
The RSMA’s annual exhibition attracts artists and buyers from across the UK and beyond.
Mr Brindley said: “It’s always a very successful exhibition because I think the paintings suit most traditional buyers of artworks.”
All three of his paintings sold at the show were of Venice—a city he and his wife have visited every year for more than 30 years.
Closer to home, Mr Brindley is preparing for his annual exhibition at the Linstock Women’s Institute Hall.
The show will run from November 14 to 15, from 10am to 4pm each day, and will feature dozens of works, with a focus on Cumbrian landscapes and scenery.