George birrell artist

George Birrell trained at Glasgow School of Art (1967 - 1971) then taught art and design in Scottish schools for the next decade, turning to painting full time in 1980. George returned to lecturing in art, design and photography from 1985 - 1998.

He has exhibited widely in group shows in Scottish and English provincial galleries and is featured regularly at the Annan Gallery.

His recurring theme is the architecture and landscape of his native Scotland. He has had a special fascination with the small towns and fishing villages of Fife from his earliest introduction to this historic area as an art student. He settled and established a studio in Kingskettle for a number of years.

He presently works from a studio in coastal East Lothian. Beyond Scotland, he enjoys painting in the pastoral landscape of Provence and coastline of the Mediterranean region around Marseilles. When not painting or travelling (always with his well-worn Billingham bag filled with camera gear) he aspires to be a mean guitarist, performing with a small jazz ensemble.

Born and brought up in the west end of Glasgow, George Birrell trained at the Glasgow School of Art between 1967 and 1971. After graduating, he then went on to teach art and design in Scottish schools for the next decade, before turning to paint full time in 1980.

After visiting the East Neuk in Fife for the first time when he was fifteen, George became fascinated by the small fishing villages of this part of Scotland, which were so different to anywhere else that he had experienced before. Hooked, George made it his artistic mission to revisit these villages and he is well known for his characteristic interpretations of their architecture, alleys, and harbours. None of the places that he paints actually exist, but instead his paintings are created from different memories pulled together into one piece.

George works both in oil and mixed media and uses contrasting colours to emphasise line and pattern, as well as monochromes for subtle interpretations of tone, depth and weather... [more]

George trained at Glasgow School of Art form 1967-1971, during which he attended Hospitalfield Summer School in 1970. After graduating, George trained to be a teacher and the taught Art and Design in schools from 1972-1980. He then taught Art, Design and Photography in further education colleges for 1983-1998. He has been a full-time artist since 1998.

George lives and paints in East Lothian and enjoys painting his impressions of the east of Scotland. His paintings do not depict specific places, but rather an amalgam of different views and perspectives. He paints using oil paints and enjoys the fact that oil forces the artist to paint slowly, thereby affording plenty of thinking and planning time. He loves complementary opposites - for example orange and blue or yellow and purple - and loves to juxtapose light and dark. George does not paint figures but his paintings feel inhabited due to hints such as a light on in a window, or a hint of lace curtains. There is great depth and balance in his compositions.