Patrick Livingstone

Patrick Livingstone was born in Lurgan, Ireland, in 1956. He spent all his childhood summers in Donegal, in the thatched cottage of his maternal grandparents, literally a stones throw from the sea. His grandfather was a lobster fisherman, and this early connection with the sea left a lasting impression. Livingstone began his painting career at the tender age of four, and was enormously encouraged by the reaction of his mother, to his somewhat immature efforts. This led to Livingstone practicing his watercolor technique to a degree not usually seen in one so young, with the aim of astonishing his parents further. He sold his first painting at the age of twelve, and immediately spent the money on a set of oil paints. His art teacher instilled a solid sense of composition and design, but it was the renowned landscape artist Cecil Maguire, who guided Livingstone through his early years as an oil painter, inspiring a love of classical technique. To this day Livingstone uses only the finest ground pigments and best quality linen canvas, using layers of glazing and scumbling to develop the luminous depth and richness in his work. Moving to London at the age of nineteen, Livingstone realised that the art schools of the day seemed only to e...