Meet the Cornish artist who has painted under water and on top of Everest

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A renowned Cornish artist who has travelled the world with his paintings has expressed his sadness that the globe's places of beauty are under attack from climate change.

Tony Foster has painted deep in canyons, on top of mountains and even invented a way to paint under water.

"I use a plastic drawing board attached to my wrist so it wouldn't float away. I use architects during film - which is like a plastic paper - and I put on extra weight belts so I would sit solidly on the bottom.

"I found at first the fish would come up to me and try to figure out what I was doing, but once I was there for a few minutes they got used to me and just got on with their lives."

He is also the only watercolour painter to capture all three faces of Mount Everest.

Tony Foster invented a way to paint underwater so he could see marine wildlife in its natural habitat. Credit: Laurie Cullenward

His latest work is now on display at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro and highlights the impact of human activity on the world.

The artist, who has a studio in Tywardreath, believes 'excessive tourism' caused by social media has contributed to the rising popularity of places like Wistman's Wood on Dartmoor.

"If you spend long periods of time in a rainforest, you can hear the trees being chopped down. If you're painting coral reefs one year and you go back the next, and the reefs are completely bleached, you realise that we just can't go on like we are," said Foster.

'Fragile Planet - Watercolour Journeys from the Wild', focuses on five environments chosen by Foster - rainforests, water, arctic, deserts, and Cornwall.

"What I hope is that when people see it, it'll help people's understanding as to why these places are important and why the whole ecosystem is important to all of us," he said.

"Here in Cornwall, we're lucky, because although damage is being done to our environment, a lot of it is manageable if we have some joined up thinking."

Tony Foster is the only watercolour painter to capture all three faces of Everest. Credit: Tony Foster

The display in Truro also draws attention to some of the positive action being taken to address climate change by charities and organisations around the world.

Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to reflect on what they can do to help reduce their impact.

He added: "Maybe my exhibition will do some practical good. But even if it doesn't, then I just hope people enjoy it."