Although Jim McBrearty
was a Cockney, proud to have been born within the sound of Bow Bells, he
discovered Pembrokeshire in 1959 - just passing through on a motorcycle
tour of the coast of Britain. It was love at first sight; he never completed
his tour and he never returned to 'the smoke'.
For some time he drew
and painted, supporting himself with farm work and other jobs before going
into business as a sign writer and graphic artist.
Later he established
Pembrokeshire's first free sheet 'Advantage', followed for seven years
by the Pembrokeshire Magazine which was noted not only for its content
but also for Jim's cover drawings and art work.
When he ceased publishing
the magazine it was to return to painting. The long interruption to his
artistic career had not been wasted years. During that time he absorbed
the atmosphere of the county he had made his home. His work is filled with
the essence of Pembrokeshire - its mysterious places, windswept trees,
seashores, breathtaking sunsets and the quiet peace of thicket and hedgerow.
He said, "For me,
painting is a matter of striving to express in terms of line and shape
and colour those things which only exist in the abstract - the silence
on the mountain or on a beach(a silence which includes the sound of wind
or waves), the bite of the wind on your face, the wrap-around warmth of
the sun, the life in a tree, the weight of a rock, the surge in the sea,
the feel of a place - or the spirit of people working, talking or just
looking".
 Jim
had his own gallery at the Old School Studio, Pelcomb, and it was there
that he embarked upon a new creative adventure, working with sheet
copper and a brazing torch. He found the molten brazing metal had a life
of its own and that he had an empathy with it. The sculptures he produced
- birds of prey, sea birds, fish leaping - were truly his finest work and
they found a ready market.
NEWSFLASH!
Sybil
Edwards McBrearty, who has written several articles on this website, has
just published a revised edition of her popular book, 'The Milford Haven
Waterway'.
For
more details,
click
here
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