Sir William Russell Flint
Original paintings and drawings
The wooded banks of the River Gard, Languedoc
signed 'W. RUSSELL FLINT'
An Original watercolour, by Sir William Russell Flint
Image size 13.5 x 9.5 inches
Sir William Russell Flint. 1880-1969.
Sir William Russell Flint, born in Edinburgh on 4th April 1880.
His father Francis Wighton Flint, already a watercolour artist and designer,
William Russell Flint was lucky to have a background for a career in art. After attending Daniel Stewarts School,
he joined the Royal Institution College of Artwork in Edinburgh the place he realized the basis of line and
colour which he later developed into his own unique watercolour style.
Nonetheless, the mandatory self-discipline required of all great artists was realized throughout his six year apprenticeship
as a draughtsman at a big printing works in Edinburgh.
In 1903 Russell Flint began work at the Illustrated London News drawing illustrations.
This was the era before photos, a time where drawings and engravings have been the only source of illustration for books and magazines.
The Illustrated London News being read across the globe, and the name of William Russell Flint was passed on across the continents
providing the basis for the international recognition he was later to receive as a watercolour artist.
"Thomas a Kempis", "The Song of Solomon", Mallory's "Morte d'Arthur", Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and Homer's "Odyssey".
Throughout the conflict Flint was in the Royal Navy Air Service and by 1918 he was promoted to Admiralty Assistant Overseer;
He was able to travel back to Scotland where he studied at the art School.
When the war finished, he went to Europe, particularly, France, where he began to paint and sketch landscapes of the many small countryside towns
and their way of life, the publication of his limited edition prints show his journeys through much of France.
Russell Flint became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1924 and nine years after, he was elected a full member.
1936 saw Russell Flint become the President of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour.
Throughout the early 1940s, Russell and Sybil Flint went to live in Devon on a farm that reared poultry.
Having served in the RAF, he was allowed to visit Devonport Dockyard,( of which a limited edition has been published,
and was described as a masterpiece of perspective) and paint, whenever he wished.
In 1945 William Russell Flint and his wife Sybil returned to their home at Peel Cottage, Campden Hill, London.
1947 saw Russell Flint knighted and he painted throughout his life until the age of 89 when he died.
His work as a professional artist spanned many years and he was later able to create a unique feel to his paintings that produced
his most recognizable style. The paintings he produced were less rigid and he was able to show in exquisite detail, the different textures
of materials, buildings, and of course, flesh.
Sir William Russell Flint has given and continues to give great joy to many individuals across the world.
His signed limited edition prints and original paintings, have become extremely collectable, and his work enjoys a great following
as some of the finest watercolour paintings in the world today.
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