Injury means Jack Vettriano is 'unable to paint'

Vettriano did not take up painting full-time until the age of 40

Scottish artist Jack Vettriano has announced he is giving up painting for the foreseeable future due to a recent accident.

He has released a statement saying that he has dislocated his shoulder and is facing a long recovery period.

Mr Vettriano is one of the most popular and successful artists in the world.

Paintings by the 61-year-old Fife artist, including The Singing Butler, have fetched huge sums and his prints and postcards sell in vast quantities.

A spokeswoman for the artist said that following his retrospective at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow last year there had a substantial number of inquiries regarding new paintings.

The statement from Mr Vettriano said: "As a result of a recent accident my right shoulder was dislocated and the reality is that I am going to be unable to paint in the foreseeable future.

"I am undertaking a course of physiotherapy but am facing a long recovery period. In the meantime I would like to thank the public for their continued support and interest."

The Singing Butler is Vettriano's most famous work

Vettriano, born in 1951, left school at 16 and did not take up painting full-time until the age of 40.

The artist, who grew up in Methil, Fife, first found fame in 1989 when two of his canvases submitted to the Royal Scottish Academy sold on the first day.

His work has since featured in exhibitions in Edinburgh, London and New York. He was made an OBE in 2003.

One of his most famous paintings, The Singing Butler, sold for £744,000 in 2004 and is one of the best-selling posters in Britain.

More than 123,000 people flocked to see the retrospective at Kelvingrove between September 2013 and February 2014, making it the most visited art exhibition at the institution.

Actor Jack Nicholson and football legend Sir Alex Ferguson are among the owners of Vettriano's work.