Francis (Frank) Watson Wood (1862–1953) commenced his career as a Royal Navy officer, and was described in 1907 as "naval artist, Portsmouth". He went on to become an internationally regarded watercolorist. Early Life The son of Robert and Ann, who resided in the High Street of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Frank Wood was initially apprenticed to a Grocer but, having convinced his parents of his talent, soon moved to study at the Berwick School of Art. Soon after he moved to Kensington to study at the South Kensington Art School (later The Royal College of Art) and in 1886, moved to the Newcastle School of Art where he served as Second Master. After a period as Headmaster of the White School of Art, he decided to become a professional artist in 1899 and moved to Portsmouth in 1906 to focus on painting ships. Moving amongst the officers of the fleet, in August 1903 he sold King Edward VII a watercolour which he hung in the Royal Yacht. Queen Alexandra purchased at the same time a further three pictures, all associated with views taken during Cowes Regatta week. In November 1907 the Queen again purchased from him two large watercolours. These two sales set his artistic career in motion and he developed into one of the most prolific and talented marine artists of the 20th century. Landscapes and buildings In addition to his main passion of warships, Wood was also a keen painter of landscapes and buildings in and around Berwick Upon Tweed. During his life he often returned to paint scenes and places familiar to his youth and his paintings were always meticulously detailed. Marine Painting at Portsmouth Much of Woods early work came from serving or retiring officers who commissioned paintings of their ships - or ships that they had served in. These paintings form the bulk of Woods work and provide valuable images of some of the more obscure ships of that period. Alongside William Wyllie, Wood was invited to join the Grand Fleet Flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth and tour the surrendered German High Seas fleet at Scapa Flow in 1918. Wood was in Bermuda in 1929 and 1931, and painted Admiralty House (since demolished) and Admiralty Cove, in those days the Headquarters of the America & West Indies Squadron (established 1 July 1927). During the 1930s Frank Wood had developed his craft so well that he was freely allowed to