William Spurway paintings' photostream

I am a professional artist in the traditional sense of the word and paint to impart my own passion and reverence for the landscape

The majority of my current work concentrates on Scottish landscape, especially the estuary areas in Dumfries and Galloway which is where I live.

I am interested in the convergence of land, water and sky and the shadows and reflections therein.

I have been influenced over the years by artists such as Boudin, William Merritt-Chase and Isaac Levitan.

I was born in Kenya and brought up on the edge of Exmoor in Devon, which is where I developed my understanding and love of the countryside. I moved to Dumfries and Galloway eight years ago and have settled happily here, finding again the wildlife and untamed countryside of my childhood.

Before I begin a body of work, I walk and observe extensively my chosen landscape. This is an intense period of observation and reflection and will often happen over months before final ideas are formulated and paintings begun. In this way, I am able to observe a landscape and its elements in its many moods, how it is affected by weather patterns, changes in daylight and through the seasons.

It has been observed that my paintings contain a sense of timelessness, they are observations of a pre-industrialised landscape, where man’s impact is hardly evident, where the sky, water and trees are paramount and the viewer gains a sense of space and timelessness.

For the past five years I have been teaching an HND in painting and drawing. This is an integral part of my practice as an artist. It enables me to pass on my knowledge and enthusiasm for my subject whilst at the same time requiring me to undertake research and revisit theories and practices, thus ensuring that my own work remains fresh and vital.

If you wish to contact me please telephone 01387 770074.