Frank Curran, a dear friend, died last month after a short illness. We first met Frank, and his wife Rita, shortly after we moved to Tiree. They had been taking holidays on the island for over 40 years and were well known to residents and visitors.
Frank was often seen painting in the low flat landscape that he loved – creating vivid, spontaneous paintings with movement and life in each brush stroke. On one painting trip to Cornaig he had been touched by island hospitality - a small boy had brought him some home baking and a flask of tea on a tray from his mother.
Frank exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts and the Mall Galleries in London as well as staging several solo exhibitions at the Torrance Gallery in Edinburgh.
The words of this poem, by Sir Patrick Ford, were written for FCB Cadell – but they are also a fitting tribute to Frank.
"The bright light is quenched now, the wit and laughter
are silent: the fearless, free spirit at rest,
that flinched not from pain and that laughed at disaster:
What of gloom is and mourning, are ours that are left.
With line that was flawless and brilliance of colour
His art ran the gamut of beauty in things -
From mirth through to sadness, but never to dullness -
Then take heart and be fearless, remembering him.'
Very sorry to hear this sad news Colin. You often mentioned Frank and I know admired him greatly. I,m not sure but possibly the painting we bought from the Shoreline exhibition was one of his?
Posted by: sue Armstrong | December 04, 2011 at 11:35 PM