CarlyleArt I was born in Scotland, the son of an engineering designer/draughtsman employed by the renowned company responsible for the design and construction of those world-famous transatlantic luxury liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. My maternal grandfather was a gifted artist whose consummate craftsmanship adorned, amongst other things, many churches and steamships a century ago. My Art Gallery comprises both Abstractions and Astronomical paintings. The latter I call COSMOSCAPES, a term I coined many years ago. in order to distinguish them from my abstractions and other art work. However, by far the most important feature of my Art Work AND just about everything else I say and do, is it's total ORIGINALITY. The aforementioned COSMOSCAPES were the natural outcome of my life-long interest in the subject of Astronomy. My object, from the outset, was to elevate standard astronomical illustration to the level of a true art form. It is not my intention to portray ACTUAL cosmic phenomena. The COSMOSCAPES are simply my personal celebration of the wonder, mystery and, indeed, sublime beauty of our infinite universe. It may be of interest, to those who view my paintings, to learn that ALL of them were created spontaneously, without the vaguest notion of predetermined design or planning. In other words, upon completion, the resultant works are as much a surprise to me as they are to those who view them. Meticulous, obsessive concerns regarding originality and spontaneity resulted in my rejection of all formal art training. However, I am NOT arrogantly inferring that art education is without merit. Merely, that for me, it would have been an impediment to my own particular voyage of discovery and creative expression. I am contemptuous of pseudo-intellectual debate or analysis, acutely aware that the simple, silent language of genuinely creative visual art speaks NOT to our intellect but to our sensibilities. Furthermore, I insist that whilst art may inspire, it should neither preach nor moralize, at least not consciously. Great painting, like great music and literature, transcends politics and the vagaries of fashion. I particularly delight in the reaction of children to my paintings. They are so direct and honest in their judgments that praise by them is praise indeed. Apart from solo exhibitions in Great Britain, my pictures have been displayed at a number of other venues, including the prestigious Royal Institute Galleries in London. Throughout the years, in order to keep the proverbial wolf from the door and the flame of creativity alive, I have undertaken, albeit reluctantly, a wide variety of occupations. Finally, my many and varied interests include the music of Sibelius, Prokofiev and Debussy, the works of Shakespeare and Dickens, philosophy, travel, photography, Italy, Greece, France and, most important of all, the rich culture and magnificent landscape and seascape of my beloved Scotland. WILLIAM GALBRAITH CARLYLE