Great-grandad Robert Rose’s art takes off after TikTok hit

After rekindling an interest in painting during the Covid lockdowns, a 92-year-old great-grandad is enjoying a late-in-life career as a landscape artist.

Robert Rose, who has never received any formal art training, turned out about 50 works, inspired by his love of walking near his native Wantage in Oxfordshire.

A TikTok video posted by his granddaughter, showing his efforts to a global audience, racked up more than two millions views.

Mr Rose recalled how he had enjoyed painting “strictly as a hobby”, until the pandemic struck in 2020.

“I was captured in my own home so decided to produce some paintings – it kept me sane,” he said.

“I thoroughly enjoy painting, and as a consequence had 40 or 50 paintings – I had run out of space on my wall.”

For granddaughter Joanna Menzies, her grandad’s artistic activities came as a surprise and she posted a short video of him at work in his shed on social media.

“He had never mentioned it,” she said. This was 2020 when TikTok was just beginning to blow up.

“I put the video on and the next day it had two million views.”

Mr Rose said: “It made wholly amusing reading – there were three or four thousand comments – they were asking ‘can you be our grandad?’.

“It’s all part of the fun and keeps us entertained.”

Mainly using acrylics, he paints scenes in and around his native Wantage and Grove to Ardington, Letcombe and The Hendreds.

“I’ve lived in the area all my life and know these good walking spots.

“I’d go down, get a sketch and take some photos, and then on the days when the weather’s not so good, I can spend the time painting.”

Mr Rose has also painted town and coastal views from the South West Coast Path and other areas where he has previously indulged his passion for long-distance walking.

Entirely self-taught, Mr Rose puts his interest in art back to his childhood during World War Two.

“During the war years, you couldn’t get hold of paper. My mother got me a blackboard and a box of chalks so I would amuse myself drawing tanks and army lorries and plans – that’s what got me going.

“I always promised myself when I retired I’d devote time to a bit of painting.”

The late-in-life fame led to his local library in Wantage putting on an exhibition of his paintings.

After capturing scenes from another walking route alongside the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal, members of the trust that looks after the canal were so impressed by his paintings of the waterway, they made him an honorary member.

With the originals given to family members, the paintings have been reproduced as prints, which have proved popular on sale on Etsy and at craft and artisan fairs.

“We’re so proud – we think he’s amazing. He’s got four great-grandchildren so we’re hoping they’ll have some of his artistic talent,” said Ms Menzies.

Mr Rose added: “It keeps me fully occupied and helps the brain. It’s better than getting up and spending the day just looking at the telly – its good for me personally.”