Alan Cotton, born in Redditch, Worcestershire, in 1938, is a British landscape painter whose work is characterised by its vivid colour palette, dynamic brushwork, and a focus on the interplay between land, light, and atmosphere. He has been represented internationally by Messum’s Fine Art in London for over thirty years, where his regular solo exhibitions have frequently sold out.
Cotton began his formal art education at Ruskin Hall, Bournville School of Art, before progressing to Birmingham College of Art. He completed his training at the Universities of Birmingham and Exeter, where he obtained a Master's Degree in Education.
In the mid-sixties he was seconded from Lydney School of Art to do an Advanced Diploma at the University of Exeter. During this time, he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Painting and Art History at Rolle College Exmouth and Alan and his family move to live permanently in Devon.
The Hartland coastline in North Devon became one of his favourite places and subject of a large number of his works, many of which are now part of public collections, including the RAMM at Exeter, Plymouth City Art Gallery and the University of Exeter, who now have five of his Hartland paintings.
Throughout his career, Cotton has focused on the expressive potential of landscape, exploring the interaction of light, colour, and form to capture both the visual and emotional qualities of the natural environment. His work balances careful observation with painterly freedom, producing compositions that are at once precise in structure and evocative in mood.
Works by Alan Cotton are part of important collections in Europe and North America, including the Royal Collection. He has undertaken a wide range of public commissions, including three large paintings for the Queen Mary II, a painting for the Royal Marines, a series of five paintings for the University of Exeter, to commemorate its Silver Jubilee, five large Venice paintings for the Vice-President of the American cruise ship company Carnival and a large painting of the Lighthouse at Hartland Point for the Chinese company, Hartland Shipping Services, which now hangs in their UK offices in Covent Garden, London.
In 2005, Cotton was invited by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, to accompany him as his Tour Artist to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.
In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt) by the University of Exeter for his 'outstanding contribution to the Arts' and in the Spring of 2011 was appointed the first Professor of Arts at the University of Bath.
In 2021 he was honoured to receive the MBE for Services to the Arts in the South by Queen Elizabeth.
