IT'S AN iconic image that has found its way into the hearts and homes of thousands of Glaswegians. Avril Paton's Windows In The West, her depiction of life inside a Glasgow tenement on a winter's evening, takes a peek into the lives of the prosperous residents of Saltoun Street in the city's West End.

But the image has inspired Glasgow-based artist Ashley Rawson to paint a very different version of the city - one of steel-shuttered tenements, loneliness and dying communities.

Ashley is best known for his ned' paintings, most notably Glasgow Kiss', which shows two young Glaswegians, putting traditional Rangers versus Celtic rivalries aside and kissing over a bottle of Buckfast.

He said: "During a visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery I spent some time looking at Windows In The West and I was struck by the fact that it represented a wealthy, happy and thriving Glasgow community.

"Shortly after, I spent a day walking round Glasgow and while passing some steel shuttered tenements near Toryglen I noticed that some people still lived in them.

"I began to imagine how the snow that fell on Avril Paton's picture would look in a different, less privileged part of the city.

"In the painting I have depicted an entirely steel shuttered tenement with one remaining resident, a resilient old lady who is on her way home from the shops to feed her pet parrot.

"In doing this painting the hope is that viewers will think about the effects the passage of time can have on a community.

"Why do once thriving communities become rundown and ignored? What can be done about the problem?"

Ashley admitted to feeling nervous about the reaction to his painting.

"I don't know how Avril Paton will feel about it but I hope she will be flattered, as many artists have been influenced by, and have commented on, other artists' work.

"I thought that by using Avril's painting I could make a stronger statement about a community that's died and the people left behind."

The Evening Times caught up with Avril and found she was, in fact, flattered by the new take on her well-known painting.

She said: "I don't mind in the least if people use my painting. That is what an artist or writer does. They try to get at some central truth.

"The poor are always with us but I suppose the thing about us is that it shouldn't be the case because we're such a prosperous society.

"When I painted Windows In The West I was certainly commenting on how lucky it is to live in such prosperity.

"Across the street from where I lived there were people who had managed to achieve a very comfortable way of life."

Prints of Windows In The East will be on sale soon in Princes Square and Buchanan Galleries. What do you think of Windows In The East? Is it a fair reflection of life in Glasgow? Write to Windows, Features, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, G2 3QB, or e-mail features@eveningtimes.co.uk