WILLIAM (BILL) AINSLIE, 1934-1989

64pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Bell Roberts Publishers, Cape Town, No Date

ISBN: 9780620655972

A catalogue of Bill AInslie's drawings and paintings, with quotes from Ainslie and people who knew him on his painting practice, teaching philosophy and legacy.

William (Bill) Ainslie was born in Bradford, Eastern Cape, in 1934. He obtained an Honours degree in Fine Art from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, then taught art at high school level, spent time abroad, and taught privately. From 1976 onwards, in the oppressive climate of apartheid-era South Africa, he initiated various teaching studios and projects including the Johannesburg Art Foundation, the country's first inclusive studio, as well as FUBA and Thupelo as part of the Triangle Arts trust network. Many of South Africa's leading artists attended these classes and workshops. The Bag Factory Studio, Thupelo and Greatmore Street Studios continue from these initiatives.

As a painter, his work evolved from an early expressionism to colourful, gestural abstraction later in his career. Ainslie was killed in a car accident on his way home from a Pachipamwe Art Workshop at Cyrene Mission in Zimbabwe in 1989.