Edenbane Art Kilrea

William Cunningham

William Cunningham was born in 1946. He grew up near Crossgar, Co. Down and went to University at Queen’s, York and London.

Up until 1978, he lectured for several years and then he had his first exhibition at the Tom Cromie Gallery after which he decided to turn professional.

Apart from tuition at school, William received no formal artistic training, he is largely self-taught. His success may best be explained in his quest to capture the atmosphere of local landscape.

Although he has a wide variety of subject matter, he still returns to the vibrant colours of cornfields and poppies, sunsets and snails and of moonlight and lilies. His skill of painting water with its light and many reflections has always drawn admiration. William has never felt that he has arrived, he is always striving to be better and more vigorous and lively with his colour, to keep developing and changing approaches, to one day attain the perfect piece.