He had a great aversion to the trade, and his predilection for art was so strong that he was accustomed to sketch figures upon the cloth on which he was occupied at the loom.
When his leisure permitted him to resort to the sea-shore, Chisholm found great pleasure in sketching on the smooth sand.
Chisholm's work gave such satisfaction, that he was forthwith commissioned to paint it, but this he was compelled to decline, as he was totally ignorant of the use of colours.
Chisholm must have employed his leisure profitably, for when about twenty years of age he went to Edinburgh, where he was patronized by the Earls of Elgin and Buchan, and was subsequently appointed an instructor at the Royal Scottish Academy.
Having suffered from severe illness during nine years before his death, his later productions do not exhibit that degree of vigour which characterize his earlier works.