Complex sentence: By the mid- 1850s he was drawing the firm's illustrations for publication rather than carving them and he began studying with local painter James Hamilton who introduced him to the work of British artist J. M. W. Turner.
Split into simpler sentences: By the mid- 1850s he was drawing the firm's illustrations for publication rather than carving them. He began studying with local painter James Hamilton who introduced him to the work of British artist J. M. W. Turner.