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CAPTURED on canvas, some of Scotland’s bravest soldiers are being immortalised in portraits to commemorate the Great War.

Artist Tom McKendrick is marking the 100-year anniversary of World War I by painting 100 servicemen and women.

He said: “The relationship between artists and soldiers is a long one. Rembrandt, Dix and Palmer painted soldiers or produced work on military themes.

“This project is something new for me and it’s going to take a while to complete. I’ve been working with the military, who have put me in touch with serving and retired soldiers.

“It has taken a lot of research and time. I’ve been painting soldiers from World War II who have incredible stories of courage and sacrifice.

“Others have served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea and some have lost limbs and eyes in the conflict.

“Each and every soldier deserves to have their portrait painted but I can only do 100. So far, I’ve done 20.

“I like to visit every soldier, listen to their stories and paint them in their own environment.

“It’s one of the biggest projects I’ve ever taken on but it’s one of the most interesting too.”

All of the 100 portraits will be shown at a special exhibition in Glasgow next year.

Tom, 65, who lives in Clydebank with his wife Christine, 63, works from a studio in his back garden.

He swapped Glasgow’s shipyards for art school but never imagined it would set him on the road to becoming an acclaimed artist whose work is exhibited around the world.

Tom always wanted to study art but was raised in a working-class family who believed learning a trade was far more important than going on to further education.

After leaving school at 15, he followed in the family tradition of carving out a career in the tough yards of John Brown in Clydebank, where his father and uncle already worked.

Tom said: “I was desperate to go to art school but in the 60s it was unheard of for a working-class boy to go on to study.

“My parents thought that learning a trade was the best thing for me.

“I remember finishing school a few weeks before Christmas and starting work on January 3.

“I had to grow up fast. The men worked hard and played hard and I’ll never forget my first day. I walked into the yard and saw the ships being built. It was so noisy. I was introduced to my gaffer, shown the ropes and then left to get on with it.

“There were a lot of accidents because health and safety didn’t exist in those days. Guys thought nothing of walking on ship walls 90ft up without a harness. Everybody wanted to be known as ‘the man of the Clyde’ and there was a lot of competition to outdo each other.

“The banter was great but you had to stand up for yourself if you wanted to stay.”

Tom’s job as a loftsman meant that he was tasked with working on one of the Clyde’s greatest achievements, the QE2.

He said: “It was the most impressive ship I’ve ever seen. The decor inside was lavish and there was a huge spiral staircase in the centre of the ship and a theatre.

“I spent four years working on the QE2. It was great to be part of something so special and we were all very proud.”

After four years at the shipyards, Tom plucked up the courage to apply to art school. After securing a bursary, he was accepted into Glasgow School of Art – much to the dismay of his family.

He said: “My parents thought I was insane to leave a secure, well-paid job to study art. My dad couldn’t see how I would make a living from it and he was worried I had made the wrong choice.

“But I was so keen to do it that I didn’t let their opinions hold me back.

“By this time, it was the 70s and attitudes towards further education were changing.

“I had to work twice as hard as the other students because I had a lot of catching up to do.”

Tom was only one of 10 students accepted from a working-class background and admits he felt lost at times. While other students went off on foreign holidays to paint Landscapes, Tom used his experience of the shipyards as the inspiration for his creative flair.

He said: “There was a wealth divide and at times it was quite hard. I just had to paint what I knew – and that was the shipyards.

“I began by doing abstract drawings of ships, then painting on the colour of rust and steel. The shipyards shaped me and gave me a lot of working material which made me stand out from the crowd. Soon, people were taking notice of my paintings and I was getting a lot of praise from the teaching staff.”

After graduating, Tom continued to paint and was soon exhibiting his work at some of the country’s elite galleries.

It wasn’t long before his paintings began to sell worldwide and he soon established himself as one of Scotland’s most sought-after artists.

Tom added: “It’s taken a lot of work and over 40 exhibitions to get here but I wouldn’t change any of it. Working at the

shipyards helped get me to where I am today.”

Tom, who recently took part in the Glasgow round of Sky Arts channel’s Portrait Artist of the Year, added: “My wife jokes that she’s hardly seen me this year because

I’ve been so buy with this project.

“I think it’s because I’m so passionate about it that I’m investing so much time.

“I still work in my studio in my back garden. I’ve done it for years and couldn’t work any other way.

“I look forward to exhibiting the portraits. Along with each one is a brief biography of the solider.

“I just hope people are as fascinated with them as I have been.”