Bill English
Born in 1931, English pursued the arts from a young age. In 1952 he studied drawing and painting at the Royal Academy Schools. He was awarded the James Knott Traveling Scholarship in 1957 and travelled through Western Europe, cultivating influential experiences that largely informed his works. Bill believed that “circumstances rather than individuals… all of it is integral with the nature of life. For a painting of mine to excite me it must surprise me, so chance and risk are important elements as is variety in idea, character, scale and treatment. Landscape in one form or another is fundamental to my work, whether more or less obviously so, abstract to a degree inherent is a search for a truth.
Bill married in 1959 and continued to make regular trips to Spain with his wife Helen. Bill became inspired by the Catalan landscape and had several one-man exhibitions in the local region.
He had a keen interest in education and searched for opportunities to teach in Art Schools. He went on to be head of Pre-Diploma Studies, Harrogate School of Art, Head of Fine Art, Derby College of Art and Design, Head of Fine Art, Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham and finally appointed Principal of Norwich School of Art in 1972 until 1988.
Died 26th January 2020.
