About

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Gordon was born in Maybole in l944 and received his education at the Kerse School and Carrick Academy where he developed his artistic skills Under the guidance of the late Wm. Lockhart D.A. His work has since Been greatly influenced by artists such as Roualt, Soutine, Munch, Van Gogh and Arthur Berry.

His first ‘One Man Show’ in the MacLauren Gallery, Ayr in October 1977 was followed by the highly successful ‘Turn of the Screw’ a vivid exhibition centred round the life and ultimate agony of a clown-like figure, which showed his fixation with the world famous mime Marcel Marceau. This exhibition later toured other top Art Centres throughout Britain and France.

Shortly after this, the Artist’s acclaimed ‘Flooded Cornfields’ was on show at the John Moores exhibition in Liverpool with several more works shown in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool. Then came a National Tour of Watercolours, Oil Paintings, and Indian Ink Sketches. Gordon was described as one of the most exciting new Artists to come on the scene in years.

Around this time Gordon started writing poetry and painting the area Where he had lived as a young boy in the old mining village of Kerse near Patna in Ayrshire, trying to recapture what life was like when the Houldsworth Mine was in operation.

Over the next few years the Artist was exhibiting in the New Solen Gallery woth John Bratby, the Shore Gallery in Edinburgh, the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock and the Royal Glasgow Institute.

In l983 he donated three Oil Paintings to Ayr Rotary Club to help raise funds for the Ayrshire Hospice Appeal, By l99l Gordon was showing regularly in top Glasgow Galleries such as Cyril Gerber Fine Art, The Compass, The Cormund Gallery, T&R Annan and Sons, the Dick Institute and the McKechnie Institute in Girvan.

In l998 Gordon held an extremely successful and moving exhibition at Rozelle House Galleries called 'Auschwitz - The Visit' it followed a visit to Poland in 1994 when he felt compelled to convey the feelings he had then of the agony, the fear, the pain and misery of the six million human beings murdered at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. This exhibition was greatly acclaimed by the Jewish people who came to see it, many who were survivors of Auschwitz.

This collection was exhibited in the Posk Gallery at the Polish Cultural Centre in London in February l999.

Later that year Gordon was commissioned by Tony Matteo, proprietor of the City Merchant Restaurant, Candleriggs, Glasgow, to paint in his own style, 14 oil paintings of Tam 0' Shanter by Robert Burns. This expressive collection can currently be seen hanging in this exclusive restaurant.

The year 2000 brought another large exhibition to the Rozelle House Galleries in Ayr. Called the 'Spooncreel' it featured over 100 paintings of old Maybole buildings , many which were demolished in the late sixties. This collection covered many years of work and had a special interest to the Artist who was born in the town.

Also in 2000 Gordon was asked to show a selection of his Auschwitz paintings at the Yom Ha Shoah Commemoration. The event was opened by the, now late, First Minister The Rt. Hon. Donald Dewer and the then Secretary of State for Scotland Dr. John Reid.

The show included works by George Wyllie and Marianne Grant with her drawings which survived Auschwitz along with her. The late Donald Dewer was full of praise for Gordon's work but sadly died before he could pay an intended visit to his studio.

The following year the Glasgow Jewish Council honoured Gordon with a dinner for the presentation of an Auschwitz painting in the memory of Mr. Ernest Levy a survivor and now a friend of the artist, to hang in the Council's Centre.

March 2004 sees the opening of the COCKBURN GALLERY in Maybole. Gordon will be selling his own original Oil and Watercolour paintings, and on occasions, work of other Artists. The Gallery will also be providing a Restoration Service.