William Francis Burton

Who was William Francis Burton?

William Francis Burton was a prolific English marine and landscape artist, who painted in oils.

He drew inspiration for his work largely from his rural Norfolk upbringing and his adopted home county of Essex. West Mersea was a particular favourite and Burton is best remembered for his depictions of golden oyster beds and Turneresque skies, his most renowned work reproduced in 1965 is 'Evening Gold'.

Burton was self-taught but often acknowledged the guidance and inspiration of his first wife's father the Irish artist William Crampton Gore RHA. Burton spent a year in Australia perfecting his technique before becoming a professional and commercially successful artist in the early sixties after retiring from the Civil Service. Burton's style was detailed draughtsmanship with earthy colour; his landscapes were distinctive by the addition of a strategically placed toadstool and, in his marine-scapes, a green bottle.

Burton died in Colchester, Essex in 1995 at the age of 88. Some of his original works reproduced by the publishers Soloman and Whitehead London between 1965 and 1970 are as follows: