A PAINTING by a 95-year-old Glasgow artist is to be immortalised on bottles of a rare whisky.
Thomas McGoran, whose artworks capturing the city over the decades caused a sensation in the East End, said it was the “icing on the cake” after his last-ever exhibition attracted hundreds of visitors.
The former cinema projectionist, who only started painting in his retirement, recently unveiled more than 50 paintings in an exhibition at The Forge shopping centre.
The exhibition has been so popular, its run has been extended by a week and will now close on March 5.
READ MORE: Glasgow artist, 95, unveils 50 stunning never-before-seen paintings of city
Now Thomas’s painting, Going to the Pictures, which depicts a couple on their way to the ABC cinema, will feature on bottles of a rare single cask of Auchentoshan 33-Year-Old, being sold and bottled by Caskshare.
Thomas said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the exhibition would be the success that it has become, and to have been asked to put one of my paintings on a whisky bottle is really just the icing on the cake.”
Thomas was a cinema spoolboy in 1941, around the time Glasgow was known as Cinema City because it had the highest ratio of cinemas per head of population anywhere in the world.
John Robertson, managing director of Caskshare, said: “We chose this painting as it reminded us of nights drawing in, the warmth of whisky, company and sharing memories. The ABC Cinema was a Glasgow institution for many generations, so it’s a perfect fit.”
Thomas started painting after he retired in 1988, and the city became his inspiration.
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“Pairing our 1990 Auchentoshan with a burgeoning artist from that time felt uniquely special to us,” added John.
“Both Thomas and this whisky were developing and defining their style during the 90s while taking inspiration from Scotland’s largest city.”
A total of 165 bottles of the Auchentoshan 33-Year-Old are now on sale at £575 each, available to buy via registration until Thursday, March 2. The cask will be bottled in November 2023.
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