A celebrated Ayrshire artist who ‘had a story for every occasion’ has passed away aged 78.
Gordon Cockburn, of Maybole, was well known across the region for his watercolours, ink drawings, pastels or oils depicting landscapes, seascapes, mining life, and his remarkable Auschwitz collection.
The son of a coal miner, with his father serving 52 years underground, Gordon was influenced by his mining links and even spent some time underground to fully capture the miners themselves and the environment from which they worked.
His mining series was exhibited at the Midlothian Mining Museum in 2011.
Gordon, who was educated at Carrick Academy, opened the Cockburn Gallery in Maybole in 2007, which he ran until just before the pandemic.
As well as producing scenes from across Ayrshire, the largely self-taught artist also portrayed street scenes, nightlife and cultural life from his travels abroad in Amsterdam, Venice, Paris, Turkey, Greece, and Poland.
His Auschwitz Series — a collection of over 500 paintings, pastels and drawings — was prompted by a chance visit to Auschwitz in 1993 where he was extremely moved by his exposure to the concentration camp.
He devoted the next five years to put on canvas his interpretation of the horrors of which those incarcerated were subjected to.
This series was for exhibition only as Gordon strongly believed he should not profit from the suffering of millions.
His friend and Holocaust survivor the late Cantor Ernest Levy OBE opened the first exhibition of these works at Rozelle House gallery in Ayr.
Gordon’s working career started out worlds away from art as he worked as a rally driver, and raced his beloved Sunbeam Rapier.
It was not until the mid-70s that he began exhibiting his work, initially at the Carnegie Library via the Ayr Art Circle (1974-77).
He turned his then garage into a studio and would often be found out there until the early hours in the freezing cold with no heating painting away.
Gordon is survived by son Daryl and daughter Michelle.
They said of their father: “Our dad was never short of a story, he had a story for every occasion. They will be missed by everyone who knew him.”
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