Ted Stourton – Artist of the New Renaissance

by Kevin Hurst

If the pen is mightier than the sword and a picture paints a thousand words, what would happen if a painter used his brush to communicate images of hope and inspiration?

That was the question that one rising British artist asked himself while taking in the extraordinary beauty of a seascape one afternoon a few years ago.

Fast forward a few years of intense, purposeful artistic production: the Ted Stourton collection at Camelot Castle Hotel in Tintagel, Cornwall is one of the largest collections of an artist’s work anywhere in the world.

In the last fourteen months alone, over nineteen hundred and fifty original works and paintings by Stourton have found their way into collectors’ hands across the world as demand for his work grows apace.

Currently, a permanent exhibition of nearly 1000 original paintings by Stourton can be seen at Camelot Castle Hotel where the artist currently has his studios.

A small sample of his work can be seen online here.

Many visitors to Camelot have remarked on the extraordinary effects that Ted Stourton’s work has had on them.

Artists from around the world have made their way to Camelot to meet Stourton, share their ideas, and to tap into the extraordinary creative inspiration that is being generated there. 

Visit the Ted Stourton Fan Site here

John Mappin's Camelot Castle Allows Artists to Stay for Free.

Finding places to stay that are truly inspirational in this world of ours can be difficult.  And finding such places that won't then charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege is usually a whole lot harder.

That is what makes John Mappin and his Camelot Castle Hotel so unusual in a cynical world - and such a breath of fresh air - because Mr Mappin has for some time now been offering free accommodation for artists.

Why on Earth, I hear you ask, would a successful businessman and newspaper proprietor do athing like that?

Well, you'd have to get to know a bit about John Mappin and his steadfast belief in the arts as a liberating and elevating influence upon human beings to appreciate it.

That and his belief that all of us are innately responsible not only for the good survival of ourselves but of our fellow humanbeings, the conviction that personal success is only partial unless it extends to improving not only one's own condition but the condition of one's fellows and of the society one is in.

John Mappin is, as well as a hotelier and the successful proprietor of a string of newspapers, an artist himself, once an actor in several movies and also a poet, songwriter and singer.

One can therefore understand his close personal bond with the world of art, a bond that was not compromised by his business success and which extends to sincere efforts to help fellow artistswith their careers.

Typically, John Mappin is an individual who puts good intentions and fine sentiments into action. He puts his money where his mouth is, one might say. Thus he, his wife Irina Mappin and co-owner Ted Stourton, the renowned fine artist, have worked hard to turn the Camelot Castle Hotel into more than just a luxury hotel but into something rather unique: a centre of artistic inspiration that they hope will, as artists come together at their Round Table, generate a new aesthetic thrust that will elevate to new heights a civilisation sorely in need of some thrusting.

These are of course expansive dreams and very high goals but why aim merely at the mediocre?

True to form, Camelot has gone further than just offering free accommodation for fellow artists; it now also offers a scholarship program for talented artists, called Icons of the Future. 

There is also the Artist in Residence Program, which covers the accommodation for a selected artist to enjoy a free long-term stay. 


These innovative measures have proven highly popular and over 350 artists from all over the world have benefited from Camelot's hospitality since 2009; Camelot Castle's nascent center forthe arts enjoys the firm friendship of a veritable Who's Who of Hollywood celebrities, including legends such as Al Pacino, Nicholas Cage, David Carradine, Forest Whittaker, John Travolta,Simon Callow and very many more.

Meanwhile, Victoria Summer, an alumni of the Camelot Programme, openly acknowledges the influence of Camelot upon her burgeoning career