Art – by royal appointment

Artist Fraser Scarfe, who accompanied the King and Queen on a recent state visit to Italy, shares his creative journey. Interview by Kate Chapman.

Lincolnshire-born artist Fraser Scarfe says it was a “real surprise and an honour” to be asked to accompany the King and Queen to document their recent visit to Italy.

Fraser, who grew up in Horncastle, but now lives in London where he is the head of education delivery at The Royal Drawing School, was invited to capture key and personal moments during the monarch’s four-day state visit in April, including engagements in Rome and Ravenna.

He was also among the team of official artists in attendance at the Coronation in May 2023, when he used an iPad to sketch various scenes during the historic day.

“The whole Italian tour, as you can imagine, was fast moving. There were a lot of public and state engagements. We were constantly moving between different events, and I was capturing what was happening,” recalls Fraser, who worked in a fish and chip shop for several years before his career took off.

“There were moments such as the King meeting a president or prime minister, or when the royal couple visited the Colosseum where the crowds were waiting. For Italians living in the city, it was their moment to meet royalty.

“I kept a sketchbook the whole time, it’s full of quick drawings. Some I will use as the basis for a painting, others I will finish later as digital pieces in their own right.

“It was a real surprise and an honour to be asked to do something like this tour, where I’m capturing historic moments. It’s a real privilege, you just hope as an artist that you can put your own spin on things, capture what the feeling was like in a way that the cameras and press can’t.”

Coronation call-up
Fraser took up his year-long place at The Royal Drawing School in 2012 and has worked there full-time since 2016, meeting with the King on numerous occasions as both a student and staff member.

“The King was very keen to make sure his coronation was recorded artistically, and he asked some alumni from the school, myself included, to document it and be at various parts of the procession,” explains Fraser, who as well as producing digital art works in traditional mediums including oil, acrylic and pen.

“I was lucky enough to be positioned outside Buckingham Palace and had an amazing view of everything taking place. I spent the day sketching the comings and goings, people moving around and in the afternoon, after the coronation, when people from The Mall came through in front of Buckingham Palace.

I had a front row seat to it all – it was pretty amazing!”

Fraser developed his passion for drawing and painting at primary school and then pursued the subject further at secondary school.

“When you’re in school and someone tells you you’re good at something, you kind of stick with it – for me that was drawing. I became the student that could draw and took it a bit more seriously at secondary school,” he recalls.

“Then I did a foundation art course at Lincoln College. I had a big idea that I’d move to London and go to a big art school. I started applying but wasn’t very successful.

“I think they thought my work was too traditional. I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. In 2007 I got myself a studio in Lincoln and started making art and teaching myself.”

Artistic experience
Fraser focussed on landscapes, inspired by the surrounding Lincolnshire scenery, but still felt he needed a challenge. This came in the way of a year-long residency at Lincoln Cathedral, which he secured after asking if a previous scheme that had ended could be restarted.

“I was able to go in, as and when I liked, and focussed on painting the building’s interior, rather than its exterior which had already been painted so much,” says Fraser, who has won multiple awards for his work. “It was a fantastic experience, during which I completed around 60 paintings, and had an exhibition at the end. The whole year was a real confidence boost and gave me so much experience of putting a proposal together, working with people and hosting an exhibition.”

Fraser stayed in Lincoln for a few more years but eventually felt that he needed to be working within an artistic community and getting feedback on his work.

He applied to The Royal Drawing School, founded 25 years ago by The King while he was still Prince of Wales. Now he is the school’s head of education delivery, looking after several programmes including the course he completed himself, while continuing to produce his own artwork.

“It’s a balancing act my job is quite involved especially as the school celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, but I make sure I spend a few days a week in the studio when I can, producing my own things, alongside various opportunities and commissions,” he says.

“I work in a variety of mediums, but I’ve found the iPad particularly useful when you’ve got to draw quickly, in a crowd or in a place where you can’t take materials like paints into places such as indoor spaces.

“It allows you to get sketches down quickly to set the scene. Then I can use the digital drawings to work on finished pieces later in the studio, or sometimes just work on them in their own right.”

Royal portfolio
After returning from Italy, Fraser had three months to complete and submit his portfolio, which will then be presented to The King. One piece from it will be added to the Royal Collection and there is the possibility The King may request others.

“The King is a keen artist himself, it feels like he really cares about supporting artists and is generally interested in what we do through drawing and painting. He’s keen to hear from different points of view, different artists,’ adds Fraser.

“Art’s not an easy career to get into, especially if you’re in a rural community or you don’t have a big art scene around you. I think the trajectory my career has taken, especially as I didn’t go to university, is amazing.

“You hear it a lot from other people that you have to have that kind of education – but you don’t. It’s more to do with your commitment, what you’re making, than your education.

“For me, it’s been a real honour witnessing these historic moments first hand.”

For more information about Fraser and his work visit www.fraserscarfe.co.uk

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