The man behind the Folkestone White Horse, Charles Newington, is hosting an exhibition to coincide with a rare talk on his work. Chris Price caught up with him.

Looking around the grounds of a retirement complex near Maidstone, artist Charles Newington is feeling liberated.

“I’m 60. I’m 60, 60, 60. I’m Charles Newington, comma 60 and for the first time it is relevant.”

The Folkestone painter, best known for creating the White Horse that’s carved into the hills above Cheriton, makes the quip flippantly. He is of course a Man of Kent and appreciates seeing his name in the local paper.

Charles will exhibit his work at the retirement development in Bearsted and give two talks on his paintings, giving a rare insight into the inspiration behind his work.

“I’ll be showing people how an artist works and how an artist’s mind works,” he said.

“I work a lot with my imagination. The imagination is very important but my works are not generally liked or acceptable because I also do lots of other things. It is all so diverse.

“I try to get off to India every year and paint what is in front of me. You don’t need an imagination out there. You just sit and it happens in front of you.

“I have so many ways of working but I like to think it keeps people interested. I wonder what I’ll be doing next sometimes. The show at Audley won’t have too much extreme stuff though.”

When Charles speaks he regularly heads off into art-inspired tangents. It is easy to see how he gets his inspiration from his imagination. It feels like there is so much going on inside his head that he struggles to get it all out. He is very self-aware though and regularly apologises for “rambling on”.

His father was an Indian army colonel and Charles’ brothers and sisters were born in the country. He feels very at home on the subcontinent and visits every year because he says it “presses all my buttons”.

As he wanders to the Walled Garden cottages where his work will be exhibited, it appears that Audley is doing a pretty good job of pressing those buttons too.

“I’m aged 60 and forever jetting off to India to paint and all around the world, then I look around this place and think 'blow me this is right on my doorstep’.

“It is a good place for people who are getting on a bit but still like rushing about. It is an incredible parkland area.”

Charles’ most famous work, the Folkestone White Horse, sits on the North Down cliffs opposite the Cheriton turn-off on the M20. Although he jokingly feigns a lack of enthusiasm on the subject, he talks on it freely.

“People talk to me about it all the time. It is almost an albatross around my neck. It certainly worked.

“Most people think it has been there for 100 years. It really has helped the whole area of Folkestone and Shepway. It is part of the urban regeneration. It is not quite on the level of the Angel of the North but it quietly sits there and has become part of the landscape.”

As the man behind Kent’s original white horse, it might be expected that he would feel protective of it against Mark Wallinger’s proposed 'Angel of the South’ – a giant white horse near Ebbsfleet International.

“It looks incredibly expensive. The cost has already gone up from £1m, £2m to £10 million. It would be a bit of an engineering problem.”

And will it be liked if it goes ahead? “Oh you are putting me on the spot. I think so. It will be a surprise and will have quite a shock value because of its colossal size. It will blow your mind when you look at it.”

Charles Newington’s work will be on display in the Walled Garden cottages at Audley Mote House, just off Willington Street, Bearsted from Friday, July 8 to Monday, July 11. He will also give a talk and demonstration at 2pm on Friday and Monday.