Ross Wilson MBE (born 1958) is an artist from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. He studied Fine Art at the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

and at the

Chelsea College of Art and Design Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

and has been a visiting speaker at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He currently resides and works in Northern Ireland. In 1997 his first public sculpture commission in bronze (''The Ulster Brewer'') was placed at the

Waterfront Hall Belfast Waterfront is a multi-purpose conference and entertainment centre, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. The hall is located in Lanyon Place, the flagship development of the Laganside Corpo ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

. He was commissioned for the centenary

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

Sculpture in 1998, placed in east Belfast. His many portrait commissions have included Nobel Laureates

Derek Walcott Sir Derek Alton Walcott (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works include the Homeric epic poem ''Omeros'' (1990), which many critics view "as Walcot ...

and

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

, and the playwright

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

. His work is displayed across the world among several public and private collections. In 2001 Wilson was invited by the Prince of Wales to join him for a dinner party at Hillsborough Castle. This catalysed the unique bond and friendship with Prince Charles, which flourished from then on in. Ross swapped paintings he had done of the Donegal based artist Derek Hill, who had been the Princes mentor and teacher in art throughout his life, this clearly struck a chord with the Prince as Ross was continually asked to spend weekends with him and others at Balmoral castle, the residence of the royal family Says Ross: “I was asked to bring my paints with me and I did some landscapes and snow-scapes over there. The Prince, who’s a very accomplished artist himself, liked some of my work, and to my surprise he offered to swap one of his paintings for one of mine. Which, of course, I agreed to do.” He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and I think he’s misunderstood because the Press misrepresent him,” adds Ross, who met the Prince on a public stage last year during a Royal visit to the East Belfast Network Centre, which had transformed from an old school in Templemore Avenue with a grant from Charles’ Regeneration Trust. Truly transformational and radical conversations were said to have been had on his visits to Balmoral, and the friendship between the two men still stands. Ross was then announced the High Sherriff of County Londonderry; the principal formal duties of High Sheriffs today are including the attendance and accompaniment at royal visits in the County and support for Her Majesty's High Court Judges when on Circuit. ''Family'' Ross is married to Elizabeth Wilson who studied fashion and textiles in Belfast, and has one daughter, Grace (born 2001) who pursued studies at Durham University. Wilson mentioned in an article to the Belfast times, that his daughter, Grace, spoke of becoming an artist through her childhood, "But I have tried to encourage her to concentrate on her talent as a musician," says Ross. "An artist's life is a difficult path."

References

Living people 1958 births Artists from Northern Ireland Sculptors from Northern Ireland Alumni of Ulster University {{UK-artist-stub