I come from a family who exhibited undeniable artistic talent throughout their lives. My father (Leo Walmsley) was a writer, and my grandfather (Ulric Walmsley) was a painter. My mother (Margaret Walmsley) was foremost a teacher, but also a painter and a wood carver. My sister Anna Scott Walmsley was a ceramicist, who spent the latter part of her life in France. So I've devoted webpages that display examples of their artistic endeavors.
 
I could never write novels the way my father wrote them--and proved that by attempting to write one in the style of David Lodge--even though as a professor of education, I did author and co-author a number of non-fiction books and articles about education. I couldn't paint like my grandfather, and still can't; and while I admired my sister's ability to create beautiful artifacts from clay, I never tried ceramics; nor could I draw, paint or carve the way my mother did. Failing to pursue any of these arts--yes, "those that can, do. Those that can't, teach."--I ended up as a professor, scholar, and chair in  the School of Education at the University at Albany, NY in 1975, from which I retired in 2011. But my passion for nature photography has recently turned abstract, especially after taking a workshop from the British abstract photographers Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery in 2022. [more...]

In the pages devoted specifically to each of my family predecessors, I'll explain what I think they passed onto me as I took up photography as a serious activity. But mostly, it's about their art.
 
Click on any of the banners to the left or the links above in the text if you want to learn more about these accomplished artists.