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The award-winning artist behind a new sculpture dedicated to the lives of Tain couple Alex and Connie Morrison has revealed the inspiration behind its unique design.
‘Fearless’ was unveiled in the Easter Ross town’s Rose Garden last week in a special ceremony attended by the couple’s sons Gordon and Sir Fraser Morrison, along with Lord Lieutenant for Ross and Cromarty, Joanie Whiteford, and sculptor Ian Wolter.
ALSO READ: ‘Fearless’ Tain couple Alex and Connie Morrison remembered as new sculpture is unveiled
Mr Wolter, whose award credits include the RomArt Sculpture Prize (Rome), the Arte Laguna Prize (Venice) and the Sustainability Art Prize, says the two-year process of making the sculpture began after delving into the Morrisons’ family history, detailed in the 2018 book – The Morrison Story.
Tain-born Alex Morrison, who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II before escaping in the final weeks, established Alexander Morrison (Builders) Limited in 1948.
Sons Gordon and Fraser would later become leaders in the business themselves, but it was their time as children playing in their father’s workshop yard that served as the inspiration for the new tribute.
“Gordon first approached me during the summer of 2023,” Mr Wolter explains. “He’d seen another sculpture of mine, the Children of Calais, and wanted something of that ilk.
“He gave me a book about his father and quite early on there was a scene in which the two boys would accompany their father to building sites on Saturday mornings where he’d have meetings and they’d have near free reign, often running over the upstairs joists before the floors had been laid.
“This struck me as a fantastic image and presented various versions of it to Gordon and his wife Mary. Once we’d settled on a maquette they and Fraser were happy with, I set about finding models.”
Mr Wolter added: “I always work from life. Luckily, I found two brothers locally who were about the right ages so I could begin. I created the life size sculptures in clay over about three months.
“The school uniforms, as well as the faces, were taken from Morrison family photos and even some cine film.
“Although the figures were cast in bronze in East London, the plinth and install were all handled by a local team.”
Speaking after last week’s unveiling, Gordon said the sculpture is “a symbol of that courage and a reminder of what can grow from strong foundations”.
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