Ian MacInnes, Orcadian artist, socialist, humanist and teacher died in Stromness on December 12, 2003. He was born to Gaelic-speaking parents, one of nine children of Dugald, second mate on the Pole Star, and Jane, a domestic servant.

Educated at Stromness Academy, he was a classmate of George Mackay Brown, who became a close friend. Neither boy cared much for lessons, but loved Stromness - the characters, the stories, the secrets and scandals that make up a small community. What George celebrated in writing, Ian celebrated in paint.

His lifelong commitment to socialism was learned early, in Peter Esson's tailor shop. Communist and crusading Provost of Stromness, George Robertson was another strong influence on him. It was a practical socialism, founded on a belief in the power of co-operation.

He wanted to go to sea, but his eyesight wasn't up to it. It was already clear he was a promising artist; as a boy his series of cartoons of local worthies, published in the Orkney Herald, were admired for their facility and mischievous satirical edge. He enrolled at Grays School of Art in 1939. War interrupted his studies: he joined up in 1941 and became a chief petty officer in Lowestoft, subsequently travelling on troop ships as far as Australia.

He resumed his studies post war in an atmosphere of optimism and hope, Labour having been swept to power by a landslide. Ian carried off the George Arthur Davidson Medal for Art and held his first exhibition in Orkney. Alberto Morrocco became a close friend.

He met his wife, Jean Barclay,a war widow, at Harriet's Bar in Aberdeen - he saw her across a crowded room; his painting of her in a New Look black suit captures her, and his feeling for her, perfectly. In 1949, they wed and settled in Orkney with Jean's daughter, Sheena.

Ian became one of the first itinerant art teachers in the county and a leading light in local politics. As a councillor, he was never afraid to back the underdog or engage in the thorniest of issues. It was at this time that he was instrumental in setting up the Orkney Fisherman's Society, a co-operative designed to support and protect local workers.

War had left him with a hatred of violence and a contempt for the hierarchies of power. He joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, addressed meetings and organised protest marches, learning quickly that he was a powerful speaker who could mobilise others into direct action. Perhaps his most successful campaign was against Rio Tinto Zinc, who wanted to mine for uranium between Stromness and Yesnaby, on the cliffs which he loved and painted on so often. Orcadians will remember the slogan that met visitors to the town: Keep Orkney Green and Attractive, Not Black and Radioactive. He also contested the Poll Tax, challenging its legality in court and carrying out his own defence.

He subscribed to the Morning Star, ordering multiple copies so that it was worthwhile for the newsagent to carry the paper. In 1964, he stood as Labour candidate for Orkney and Shetland against Jo Grimond, bringing to a hopeless task the same passion and

energy that informed all aspects of his life. The party moved to the right; the last straw for him was when radical MP and collector of folk songs, Norman Buchan, was passed over for a post in the Shadow Cabinet by Neil Kinnock; he tore up his card. Laterally, he was a Scottish Socialist Party supporter.

His teaching career flourished - he was energetic and engaging in the classroom, and many Orkney artists owe him a debt. He was a thorn in the flesh of authority here too, supporting the rights of the underprivileged, and working to protect teachers' pay and conditions.

When it became clear that his diploma in art wasn't considered academic enough to allow him to apply for promotion, he enrolled as one of the first batch of Open University students, graduated and was appointed headmaster of Stromness Academy in 1979. Here as in all other areas of his life he put into practice the ideals he believed in - social inclusion, equality of opportunity and a belief that everyone had something good to offer to the community. He pioneered Friday afternoon activities, believing education was about more than books, and he developed the navigation department. He worked loyally for the EIS, where he was chair of the Education Committee and had a fellowship bestowed on him.

He participated in the life his town, working for the museum, and Orkney Heritage. In the evenings at Thistlebank, there was homebrew and hospitality, folksong, storytelling, and political argument.

When he retired, he was out on the cliffs, or down the pier. He illustrated some of Mackay Brown's books, was a member of the Society of Marine Artists and exhibited in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and, of course, Orkney and Shetland.

After his first stroke in 1997, he learned how to use a computer: just before he died he was learning, again, how to walk on a zimmer, and enjoying the 50th anniversary dinner of the debating society he helped found. He spoke up for others all his life. Now his paintings speak for him.

He leaves wife, Jean and daughters Sheena, Morag, Fiona and Mhairi.