This is a painting of Gateside Farm from Gateside Road, just off the Kilmacolm Road which connects Greenock with Kilmacolm. My father’s ancestors were born here, so this subject will always have precious memories of him for me.
The Kilmacolm Road is a beautiful part of the country, indeed, it is said that when Queen Victoria was looking for a Scottish retreat, she nearly chose the countryside around Kilmacolm in preference to Balmoral! I have to admit, though, that the Highland scenery around Balmoral is on a much grander scale! Still as the old verse puts it “East, West, Hame’s best!”
1930’s American Bantam Model 60, Conte chalk on Ingres Paper
Pardon the pun but I’ve always been “drawn” to old cars as a subject, especially old cars that have been abandoned and are beginning to decay and fall apart. There’s something sad about an old rust-heap and yet the beauty of the original design and the engineering skill that went into these magnificent creatures somehow shines through all the more.
I say “creatures” because old cars like these seem to take on a personality of their own – they speak to me; they say: “I used to be something special; people valued me and cared about me – even loved me – until a newer, better model came along and then they retired me – relegated me to the second-hand market and eventually I ended up here, a discarded, useless, decrepit piece of junk! But in my heyday….you want to have seen me!”
Maybe these beautiful old beasts are a kind of metaphor for the arc of life we all go through as we age – eventually we all have to face up to the bitter truth that we’re not as fit or as sharp as we used to be – sooner or later we get replaced by younger models with more energy, youth and drive. Ah, but you should have seen me in my heyday!
Mercedes Benz 170V, Pencil on Ingres Paper
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