Book selected: National Gallery of Scotland – Shorter Catalogue
New title: Family Album
I made the ‘Catalogue’ into a connection to my great-grandfather who was a painter and decorator from Glasgow. He was also a keen amateur artist who painted various scenes in oils and although never exhibited (as far as we know) might well have wanted to.
Why he left his family and disappeared is a mystery – I have always been curious where he ended up, so used the titles of works listed in the catalogue to suggest links with images taken from the few photographs of him that survive.
I re-covered the ‘Catalogue’ with an image of one of his paintings – a tranquil scene that wraps around hints of, or clues to, a life of dramatic twists and turns. Or just as possibly, of ordinary, domestic unhappiness and loneliness.
The book sits snugly into a box, framed as a pleasing enough picture, the original of which still prompts family questions about what happened to J.R.
email : lorna.jewitt@blueyonder.co.uk
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