Bone, William Drummond, ARSA
1907 – 1979
RSA Annual Report 1979, notice 41, Obituaries; "William Drummond Bone, A.R.S.A. William Drummond Bone was born in the town of Ayr in 1907. It was there that he completed his school education before entering GlasgowCollege of Art in 1928 to study drawing andpainting. His graduationin 1931 was followed bya year of post-graduate study, and later he occupied his time travelling, tutoring and painting. In 1934 he was appointed a member of the teaching staff in the School of Drawing and Painting. At the outbreak of World War II, William Bone first saw active service in France and later in Germany before returning to take up his teaching post in the Glasgow School. In 1948 he was appointed senior lecturer in charge of first- and second-year student studies, and his career as a teacher was to become a long and devoted one, terminating in June 1971, when he retired. As a painter and draughtsman he had many admirers, not least those private patrons who delighted in possessing his oils, watercolours and drawings, often of open farmlandflanked by west coast mountains, or landscapes featuring moors enclosed by low-lying hills, spontaneously wrought and vigorously interpreted. He was elected a Member of The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water colours in 1950, and in 1969 he was elected an Associate Member of The Royal Scottish Academy. His love of music was expressed in performance, for he was richly endowed with an excellent singing voice, known particularly to musicians in Ayr. As a raconteur and after-dinner speaker he was much appreciated and despite his quietness of manner, effectively articulate. William Bone died in Heathfield Hospital, Ayr, on Friday, 16th November 1979. A widower for some years, he left behind his only son, Drummond. It will not have escaped the notice of Members that, with his friend and colleague William Armour, R.S.A., he shared many common characteristics such as honesty, humility and integrity. Sadly they have died within months of each other. JAMES CUMMING"
