William James Aylward ( New York, Wisconsin, 1875-1956) Schooner ship painting with a vessel in the distance. Signed lower right. Oil on Canvas. William James Aylward (1875-1956), master of seafaring art, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his father worked in a shipyard and as captain of a Great Lakes sailing vessel. "My love of the the water and of things pertaining to it began at an early age," Aylward wrote. After studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students' League in New York, he studied at Howard Pyle's Wilmington, Delaware school of illustration. Sight Size: 21.5 x 39.5 in. Overall Size: 26.5 x 44.5 in.