Charles Neal was born in Surrey in 1951. At the young age of 14, he began his formal study of art under the guidance of Malcolm Domingo and Frances Lane-Mason. The following ten years of Neal’s life were spent with these two artists, as he learned all about art and painting. However, at the age of 24, Neal decided to pursue his own personal style and technique, leaving Domingo and Lane-Mason to travel England and France for inspiration.

A few years later Neal moved to the Cottswolds, where he could better immerse himself in nature. It was the nature around him that would inspire his signature style. Neal thought constantly about the effects of time, and the ever-changing nature of the world around us. Desiring to capture specific moments in time, Neal began to paint his nature scenes, attempting to record the countryside and coastline before they changed beyond recognition.

Seasonal change, time of day, and different combinations of light and atmospheric effects all intrigued the young painter, challenging him to innovate new ways to portray the effect of time on nature. The result is a style that blends realism and impressionism, closely focusing on light and shadow, and utilizing stunning subtleties in color.

As Neal’s confidence in his artistic style grew, so did his recognition in the art world. His work was sought after by collectors around the world, and exhibited in galleries in New York and London. In 1994, when the Museum of Garden History hosted a show on Neal’s work, the Prince of Wales came to open the exhibition. Following this, Neal created a series of paintings of the English coastal landscape, which were displayed in an exhibition organized in conjunction with the National Trust as a part of a campaign to preserve the unique English coastline.

Additionally, Charles Neal is one of the few artists who is allowed to paint the beautiful grounds and interiors at UNESCO World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace. Built between 1705 and 1722, the lush grounds of Blenheim Palace have continued to inspire Neal’s painting and are often the subject of his work. Findlay Galleries continues to work with Charles Neal to help fundraise for the Blenheim Foundation, an organization whose goal is to restore and preserve Blenheim Palace.

Today, Neal lives in Gloucestershire with wife and family, where he continues to paint his captivating landscapes.