Dear Fionn,
I am the son of Maurice Sochachewsky (I changed the name to 'Skye' in 1973, as my father had been using that locally in our small village - where everyone called you Mr (or Mrs) err-um!

Whilst scanning the internet on mining I came across reference to a painting "Miner and Child" painted by my father in 1938ish. It is owned by Grant Waters. I would like to contact him to ask if he has a good photograph of the painting. Perhaps you could contact him on my behalf, or give me his email address (I don't know the protocol for these sort of interactions!)

We met two young girls who watched my father paint this picture - They remembered the incident clearly

Dad died in 1969 and my mother eventually married again, but rapidly declined with Alzheimers (I'm fairly sure that it was due to shock) and eventually was defeated by cancer (a lifelong smoker).

Anyway, before his death he gave me a large box of "stuff". It contained photos and many, many letters from my father to his parents during his stay in
Tal-y-Wain. I have not yet had a chance to go through them as it is like standing at the bottom of Mount Everest and saying "here we go"!!

So I am trying to find copies of his pictures from that period. Grant Water's picture of the 'Mine and Child' is one I would particularly like. We actually met the baby in the picture when we visited Tal-y-Wain with my uncle a few years ago. He is still in the village, but obviously quite elderly.

In another painting, which my uncle has, of a miner sewing, there were two young girls watching my father paint the picture - and we met them too. They remember the incident clearly.
I look forward to hearing from you,

Many thanks,
Dave Skye

I came across your site when googling something else. Interesting indeed. Reference Mr Skye’s request for a photo of his father’s painting of miner and child - I have one.

The man and child are my father and the child my brother Terry - both now deceased.

If this request is still current then please contact me on my e-mail address.

Thanks

Ken Clark

Attached are  copies of Sochachewsky paintings from a newspaper cutting from 1937 (not good quality) and another colour one of my father, Ivor Clark and brother Terry - both now deceased. This was painted in December 1937 a few days before my father was killed in a roof fall at Red Ash Colliery, Varteg in his first week of employment for three years, leaving a widow and four sons under the age of seven years.

The newspaper cutting shows the picture David Skye was looking for. I have seen a much better one somewhere and will look for it. This one is entitled 'The Light of Youth', and the boy in the painting is Jack Johnson, from Woodlands, Talywain. Jack told me that he posed with the lamp and clothing in the doorway of the shed and Sochachewsky painted around it at his leisure. Jack died in 2012. The third picture is entitled 'Their Burden' of a married couple bring home coal gleaned from the spoil tips. They are Mr and Mrs James, which is all I know about them.

Sochachewsky described them in a London gallery showing them as from Cwmglo (valley of coal in Welsh) a made up place. They were actually from Talywain, a mining village in the Eastern Valley of Monmouthshire.

2 Feb 2014
Dear Fionn (and Ken)
Thank you for the information (and Ken for the email), but I have some interesting news!

I received two photos of "Miner and Child" - but the paintings were different"! It would seem that my Father painted at least two - and there is evidence of a third painting of "Father and Child". At the moment my computer with these photos is away being repaired, but when I get it back I will send you copies and you can clearly see that they are different pictures. I believe that there might be a third copy in the USA.

I wonder how long it took Dad to knock up a copy!! It was an extremely emotive subject, so I can understand the request for copies.
I'll be in touch,
Best Wishes
Dave Skye