George Birrell trained at Glasgow School of Art (1967 - 1971) then taught art and design in Scottish schools for the next decade, turning to painting full time in 1980. George returned to lecturing in art, design and photography from 1985 - 1998.
He has exhibited widely in group shows in Scottish and English provincial galleries and is featured regularly at the Annan Gallery.
His recurring theme is the architecture and landscape of his native Scotland. He has had a special fascination with the small towns and fishing villages of Fife from his earliest introduction to this historic area as an art student. He settled and established a studio in Kingskettle for a number of years.
He presently works from a studio in coastal East Lothian. Beyond Scotland, he enjoys painting in the pastoral landscape of Provence and coastline of the Mediterranean region around Marseilles. When not painting or travelling (always with his well-worn Billingham bag filled with camera gear) he aspires to be a mean guitarist, performing with a small jazz ensemble.