William Irvine: A Painter’s Journey

William Irvine (b. 1931) is an American painter whose career spans six decades with the last four decades spent in Maine. Irvine’s journey in art began in the town of Troon on the Scottish coast, where he was introduced to modern art through the collection of whiskey magnate Johnnie Walker. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art and serving in the Scottish army, Irvine came of artistic age in London, where he was a part of a lively avant-garde scene. Moving to downeast Maine in 1968 proved a turning point: harbors, islands and boats, the sea and the sky inspired bold work that combined Irvine’s abstract instincts with new pictorial concepts based on the landscape. In the ensuing forty-plus years, Irvine has established himself as a Maine and American master, known for his seascapes as well as enchanting figurative paintings and still lifes.