David Griffiths
The Welsh portrait painter was born in Liverpool and brought up in north Wales. His artistic inheritance came from his Grandfather whose portrait of Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone hung in Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery in 1889. He trained at The Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London, under the direction of Sir William Coldstream, Sir Ernst Gombrich and Sir Anthony Blunt. After graduating at The Slade, he soon established himself as one of the nation's foremost portrait painters.
He has painted many of the most eminent figures in contemporary society. His subjects include royalty, ambassadors, archbishops and distinguished members of the government, industry, commerce, medicine and academic and legal professions. Among the well known people who have sat for him are H.R.H. The Prince of Wales; William Farish, U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.; Lord Tonypandy as Speaker of the House of Commons; Lord Bernard Weatherill as Speaker of The House of Commons; Rt. Hon. Lord Callaghan, former Prime Minister of the U.K.; Lord Elwyn Jones, former Lord Chancellor; Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos; Rt. Hon. Enoch Powell O.B.E.; The Most Reverend D. G. Childs; The Most Reverend G. O. Williams; The Most Reverend Dr. Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales; Rt. Hon. Lord Hailsham; Archdruid James Nicholas; Archdruid Sir Cynan Evans Jones; Bryn Terfel; Sir Geraint Evans; Barry John and Sian Philllips. The Midland Bank sponsored a major exhibition of his work at The Ammanford Royal National Eisteddfod and in 2002 The National Library of Wales held a retrospective exhibition of his portraits.