The Son of a House-Painter The lineage of Guy Head begins in Carlisle, where the son of a house-painter first encounters the tools of the trade. He does not remain a laborer of walls. Under the instruction of Captain John Bernard Gilpin, the boy learns the discipline of drawing. This technical foundation leads him to the Royal Academy, a move that places his developing hand in the orbit of Sir Joshua Reynolds. By 1779, the transition from student to exhibitor is complete as he presents a portrait of a gentleman to the Academy, followed by another the following year. The scope of his output ex…