When graphic designer and painter Andrew Hunter moved from his Perthshire home to Aberdeen, he made an invaluable find.
Hidden in a large tin box, he found 20 watercolour artworks all painted by his late mother, Elizabeth Lorimer.
Not wanting them to remain unseen for another 20 years, Andrew got them framed and displayed them in his new north-east home.
Although appreciated by anyone who came to visit his house in Old Aberdeen, Andrew always wanted to pay tribute to his loving and “characterful” mother and talented artist.
This month, Andrew is planning to do just that.
Arranging to display them at St Machar’s Cathedral from June 10, the 77-year-old said: “I just thought it’d be a nice memorial for her. I mean, she was quite a character.
“Her work is very traditional in content but she was a very talented painter.
“I would say she was very much devoted to romantic and abstract ideas based on stories she’d heard.
“And she had an enormous resource when it came to coming up with things to paint, she’d never get stuck.”
Andrew Hunter followed in his mother’s footsteps
His mum grew up in Morningside, Edinburgh and studied stained glass at the Edinburgh School of Art in the 1920s.
In between raising five children, she led an interesting life – including painting theatre backdrops for one of the very first Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
The artist later moved to the West Coast of Scotland and would often sell her watercolour paintings at exhibitions in Edinburgh.
Despite leading a “tough life” – after her husband left when Andrew was a toddler and she lost a daughter to ill health when she was quite young – until the day she died in 1996, Andrew said she never stopped painting.
And it seems her son followed in her footsteps, albeit much later in life.
With creativity obviously flowing through the family, Andrew ended up becoming an apprentice graphic designer before also attending art school as a young man.
From there he joined a design company and very quickly became addicted to surprising people with ideas and presenting concepts in an unexpected way.
Working with a range of companies, some of Andrew’s highlights included working on the rebranding of the NHS and ScotRail in 200o after the creation of the Scottish Government in 1999.
When he finally gave up graphic design, the dad-of-five took up painting and has enjoyed a successful career as an artist.
When he moved to Aberdeen over two years ago, he joined the Northern Arts Club as a director where he continues to enjoy painting with watercolours and working with a community of talented artists.
Elizabeth Lorimer artist exhibit
Now excited to again try and present something new to people with the exhibit of his mum’s work, Andrew added: “I just hope people get some joy out of seeing them.
“I hope this is something they haven’t seen before.
“It’s not at all in the current vein and the current style and I think it demonstrates that even when she was alive, she could do things in a different way from the majority of people.”
The exhibition will be on display in St Machar’s Cathedral from Sunday June 9 for a month.
Conversation