Stanley Pettigrew

Stanley Pettigrew (born 1927) is an Irish painter.

Early life

Pettigrew was born in the Andes of Chile, the son of a mining engineer whose Scottish family had settled in Sligo a generation earlier. His mother was a Blennerhassett from Tralee, County Kerry, the family's ancestry traces back to the Huguenots, driven out of France in the 16th century. He returned to Ireland with his family in 1930.

Career

Stanley went to school in Sligo and was originally interested in carpentry. He met a painter, Jim Heuston, who developed Pettigrew's interest in landscape painting. Like Paul Henry, he was attracted to the cloud formations and reflective water of Sligos seascape.

In 1944 Pettigrew enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin, initially to study history and later divinity. He worked as a curate in Newcastle, giving him the opportunity to paint with Tom Carr. In 1954 he married Vera Brownell, known for her children's books. He has lived in Wicklow since 1957, exhibiting at the Wicklow Painters Gallery and the Royal Hibernian Academy.