The pseudonym Churchill used when submitting paintings to the Royal Academy in 1947 was David Winter.
Churchill took up painting seriously in 1915, during a period of political crisis after his resignation as First Lord of the Admiralty. He found that working with color and light offered a restorative escape from public life, and he continued painting for decades alongside his careers as a soldier, politician, author, and statesman.
Using “David Winter,” he submitted paintings to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in both 1947 and 1948. Works submitted under the name were accepted, allowing his art to be judged without the immediate publicity attached to his identity. The choice of pseudonym helped keep attention on the paintings rather than on the famous prime minister behind them.
Churchill was elected an Honorary Academician Extraordinary of the Royal Academy in 1948. His book Painting as a Pastime, published that year, helped popularize his view of painting as both a creative discipline and a form of relaxation.