As, on Saturday 2nd July, my best friend in Glasgow, Roger Guthrie, passed away...the awful news left me completely stunned. He died of pancreatic cancer, it was simply vicious, in effect leaving only days from being diagnosed...Heart sore and filling with questions, I quickly had to find some positivity and focus on the happy and bright character of the wonderful friend I had lost. His two young daughters were looking to me to tell them some cheerful stories from his past. I was pleased to be able to give some good memories, leaving the gift of laughter and a smile.
I first met Roger in October 1979, within a month of my arrival in Glasgow. I had enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art, and was ready to discover as much about my adopted city as possible. To this end I had joined The New Glasgow Society, the country's leading civic amenity society, with a focus on the enhancement of the urban environment and architectural conservation. The society had been established in 1965, in reaction to the poor post war redevelopment and destruction of the nineteenth century architecture in Glasgow. I went along to one of the weekend events, I recall it involved scraping and painting an old church door, to raise awareness of its perilous state of disrepair. Roger was there and he stood out firstly because other than myself he was the youngest other member and secondly because of his distinct appearance. He had long thick black frizzy hair and sideburns, a drooping mustache but shaven chin. Stripped shirt and dark heavy corduroy trousers. He always carried a large very heavy bag often with his jacket stretched over it. He retained the same appearance always, the only change being his shinny black hair became grey. We became friends right away and I quickly learned that he had a certain and special social characteristic which is apparent in Dear Old Glasgow, where people seem to instantly include everyone around into their conversation. With Roger one was swept into his conversation as it emerged swiftly from his mind, he also spoke very fast, as if his speech was struggling to keep up with his thoughts . Within weeks of meeting him I was recruited into the New Glasgow Society's very own planning committee and trained by Roger to check planning applications, and special case work. An architect by training himself, he loved the fact the fact that I was enthusiastic and could draw. For years we met every Wednesday night at 6pm, along with several others. He became my best friend. When I was ill and required to spend a couple months in hospital in 1983, Roger Guthrie was a regular visitor. When he got married I was his best man...He was like another brother to me and so of course there are lots of amazing yarns to tell. He was a very special person, suffice to say the stories of his life were recorded in his obituary which was published in The Times (of London).
So, my life in Glasgow for nearly forty years was very much influenced and inspired by my friendship and association with my good and long standing friend Roger Guthrie. For me, that life had been fortunate in having the stability of a permanent home initially provided by my own parents, and subsequently bought from them by me. It was a very large Victorian West End flat, comprising nine apartments on the top floor and attic of a three storey tenement building, dating back to 1840. I had filled it with art and books.
One Saturday many years ago I went with Roger to the closing down sale at the head quarters of "the Co-op", in Morrison Street, under the Kingston Bridge on the south bank of the River Clyde. No messing; he quickly began the bidding for my purchase of a large architectural model, actually depicting an un-executed design for a shopping complex proposed, some years before, to adjoin the buildings in Morrison Street. I then took over and concluded the bidding. Then was faced with that reality how it would be transported to my flat a couple of miles away. Neither of us had our own transport then! Roger was ahead of me, and the large model was soon down in the lift and outside on Morrison Street. We loaded it on to a shopping trolley, and were on our way along the south bank of the Clyde. Then, across the bridge to Broomielaw and up James Watt Street to one of his commercial stores. All the way there to the amusements of people making their way home from an afternoon in the city, through the rush of Saturday traffic.
Several weeks later that large model found its way to my flat. "...it'll make a wonderful coffee table...", Roger tried to convince me. I finally wrestled it up the tight helix stair into my attic studio and laid it on end there. I removed the perspex cover, giving the sides to an neighbour to construct and cover small planters, for seedlings, for her garden. Then one day, not very long before leaving Glasgow, I had an inspired idea. The base of this model was actually very well made, with expensive materials and I had decided that I must make use of it. First I pulled off everything that could be removed. I now had a collection of fine cardboard scale models of some splendid Victorian buildings. The cardboard Kingston Bridge was hardly worth keeping, so it was chucked. The remainder I painted with white gesso primer. The ghostly shadows of the streets of The Tradeston District of Glasgow shone through the primer. The straight line of the South Bank of Glasgow's River Clyde, emerged as the Atlantic Horizon, in my new concept. As I began to paint the colours and shapes of one of my favourite Lewis beaches, Bosta in Great Bernera. Speaking to a friend of mine, a Latin teacher, she instantly loved the concept of painting a country landscape on a city grid and gave the work it's name "Urban in Campania" (The City in the Country). It became a very relevant and poignantly symbolic art work or painting as I began to make my move from my home and studio, in that old Glasgow flat and start a new life back in my native Isle of Lewis. I was full hope and looking forward helping my Dear Mother...
The painting continued acquiring colours and shapes for a few months after my return "home" to Lewis and then one day I dramatically decided it was complete. It suddenly felt finished. Then when I knew that the Grinneas nan Eilean, was going to be in July this year I mustered some confidence to submit this piece as one of my five. Now, when I heard that overwhelming news, that I had lost another great friend I simply dedicated this painting to his memory.
I feel that I still need to explain the story behind this painting, which I cannot part with...it is both sad and happy in equal measure. I can only think happy and optimistic thoughts when I think of my special friend, Roger Guthrie, who always saw the bright side and sought positivity. I was unable to attend his funeral, in July, but made a special trip to visit his widow and daughters in the first week of September. We managed to fill our time with recalling many happy memories.... RIP Roger.
I now enclose three photographs of the view of Bosta Beach, otherwise titled "Urban In Campania". Looking very carefully it is possible still to detect tug boats and small vessels on the Clyde, vehicles in the streets, and the architectural model makers' shrubs and bushes blended in urban grain of the streets. Then neutralized by my application of white gesso primer.
