William Mervyn Glass R.S.A., P.S.S.A. (1885-1965)

Mervyn William Glass was born in Aberndeenshire in 1885.  He studied at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen and at the Royal Scottish Academy Life School in Edinburgh.  He also studied  in Paris and Italy. In 1913 he moved to Edinburgh before serving in the War.

A painter of coastal scenes, seascapes and landscapes, he was particularly fond of painting Iona, where he would paint alongside Maclauchlane Milne, Cadell and Peploe.

Glass refused to teach and committed his time to painting: 'The thing that gets me is that 9/10 ths of the painters in Scotland have to beg for their bread and butter. In their spare time and during holidays they squeeze in enough time to do some real painting'.

His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute and Aberdeen Artists' Society.  He was awarded the Maclaine-Watters bronze medal and Chalmers Jervise prize.

Glass usually signed his work with his initials 'WMG'.