George Birrell

George Birrell is one of Scotland’s most celebrated contemporary artists, with a distinguished career spanning more than five decades. Born in 1950, he studied at The Glasgow School of Art from 1967 to 1971, an experience that laid the foundations for a lifelong engagement with painting, structure and place.

After graduating, Birrell spent a decade teaching art and design before committing fully to his own painting practice in 1980. From this point, he established himself as a distinctive and influential voice within Scottish contemporary art, recognised for a highly individual approach to composition, colour and form.

George Birrell is best known for his bold, expressive interpretations of Scotland’s architecture and coastal towns, particularly the fishing villages of the East Neuk of Fife. First encountered during his student years, the East Neuk became a lasting source of inspiration, its harbours and cottages providing recurring motifs throughout his work.

Birrell’s paintings are characterised by rich colour, strong structure and stylised form, combining an architectural sense of line with an emotional response to place. His work offers a deeply personal and evocative vision of Scotland’s built and natural environment, shaped by memory, observation and imagination rather than literal depiction.

Still living and working in Scotland, George Birrell continues to draw inspiration from its changing light, landscape and coastline. His work is exhibited widely throughout the UK and is shown regularly at Annan Gallery.