Painter, draughtsman and teacher, born and died in Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbrightshire. A superlative draughtsman, Maxwell’s still lifes, landscapes and imaginative compositions have a distinctive colour range and a unique lyrical, fantastic quality. Very self-critical, he left only just over 200 works. Maxwell studied at Dumfries Academy and from 1921 at Edinburgh College of Art. In 1927 a travelling scholarship enabled him to study under Léger and Ozenfant in Paris; visited Spain and Italy, where he discovered the primitives. After a teacher-training course at Moray House in 1928 he began his teaching career at Edinburgh College of Art which lasted until 1946, when he retired to Dalbeattie to paint full-time. In 1955 W G Gillies invited him to Edinburgh College as senior lecturer in composition, and he only gave up teaching finally because of ill-health.