About

This is Michael Colman Gash.  I knew Michael for just a very short time having met him whilst staying near St Ives in 2022.  I'm by no means a regular portraitist but, as a landscape artist, I can sometimes find that a face draws me in, just as my natural surroundings do.  Michael's was once such face so, being less reticent than me, my daughter asked if he would mind me attempting a portrait.  My approach was long and deliberative as with other drawing projects and this portrait was worked almost entirely with a 7H pencil.  The 7H is not one I usually reach for but I found that it somehow lent an extra sensitivity to the process of bringing a face from the blank page.

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As a sometime artist himself and despite his mobility issues, we felt a trip to Tate St Ives would be well worth the effort.  The portrait was worked up from a photo taken of Mick as he sat looking out over Porthmeor Beach in the roof top café at the gallery.  Sadly Mick died just a few weeks after the trip to Cornwall - the portrait is now with his good friend Nola who has kindly given me the following words about Michael's life:

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"Michael's life was sad; persecuted in childhood by an Irish industrial school's 'education', then apparently rescued by an aunt and transported, at 8, from Cork to London only to suffer more misery under her dominion.  Eventually he came to Bristol, working in admin for an architect.  He lost his treasure, his daughter when she was stolen away by social services when he was a new father.  His heart always searched for her, always hoping he would meet her again one day.

 

Out of all this sorrow he grew like a tree, a strong oak.  He refused to compromise with the shallow life, instead holding fast to his sense of beauty....he painted.  His beautiful honesty cut through the babble of the world.  His words few but true.  What I like about Rachel's portrait is the beautiful way she's caught the smile in his eyes.  He spoke with his eyes a lot, not a lot with his mouth except for when he was singing one of his blues inspired songs in a public space.  (How I wished I had videoed those performances, but I'll have to make do with the memories)."

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About a week before he departed he asked me "are we going on holiday" (we had only just come back from Cornwall)....I believe God's spirit had spoken a word of knowledge to him about the wonderful time that awaited him."

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