BORN and educated in Aberdeen, James Garden Laing served a five years' apprenticeship in an architect's office. Other two years were spent in an architect's office at Cardiff, and two more in Glasgow. He also studied in the Glasgow Art School with Mr. Greenlees, and took up painting. The first paintings he exhibited in Glasgow were small pictures of "Cliffs at Aberdour" and "Fishing Village near Fraserburgh," hung at the Glasgow Institute Exhibition in 1878, and since then he has been a constant exhibitor at the Glasgow Institute, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Academy, the Paris Salon, and other galleries. He is also one of the most valued contributors to the displays of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water Colours, of which he is a member. Some years ago at the National Eisteddfod at Cardiff he, on the judgment of Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, was awarded first prize for water-colour drawing. Among his more important picture have been "Cawdor Castle," "Sunset at Rye," "Interior of St. Maclou," Rouen, and "Where the Don runs into the Sea." He travelled much in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, and Egypt.