Stories - Whispers from the Past and the Present

This work pays homage to my Great Uncle Jimmy, James Craik, who described his youth in a story called In the Shadow of the Tamaron.

Jimmy was born in Brechin in 1909 into the rural economic challenges of that time. Leaving school at 13 he worked hard on a number of farms, and on the docks in Montrose, always looking for the next opportunity to support himself and his mother with their family.

His constant search for work takes him from Scotland to Lincolnshire, London and across the seas – witnessing the early days of Hitler’s rise in Germany prior to WW2 at a rally led by Hitler and Goebbels in Hamburg.

Jimmy’s story gives a wonderful insight into living in the 1920’s and 30’s in Scotland, England and Europe. To some people this may seem a small story, but to me it shows a heroic, positive determination to survive, achieve and do the right thing.

The fused and slumped bowl is made of two layers of float glass, illustrating a summary of Jimmy’s Story via hand painted thistles and hand written text representing the fields and Jimmy’s love for his home Scotland.

The montage is a collection of information and images relating to Jimmy and his life story. The original images have been copied onto ceramic transfers that are then fused onto hand-made wafer thin pieces of glass to represent both paper and our human fragility and strength, all finally mounted on float glass and framed.