From:
Sent:
Subject:
Dave Skye (Sochachewsky)
15 March 2012
I am the son of Maurice Sochachewsky

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 "Mine 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!)

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

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



From:
Sent:
Subject: 		Alex Welch
7 December 2006
Maurice Sochachewsky
Hi

Just wondering if you had any art or information about an artist called Maurice Sochachewsky, he visited Talywain in the 30's and painted many miners. One in particular is called 'Miner and Child’; the man in the painting was called Ivor Clark who died 3 days after the painting was finished, in a mining accident.

If you have any other information (or even if you have heard of him!) or this artist I would be most interested, a long shot really, but I am struggling to find out anything else about him.

Thanks (in advance!)
Alex Welch

From: Tony - Magforum.com
Sent: 11 June 2011

Alex Welch's query is several years old, but the Miner and Child painting and several other Welsh miner paintings were featured in Weekly Illustrated (14 May 2011 p13). I can send a photo if it's still wanted.

Best wishes

From: Bruce Laird
Sent: 2 Feb 2010

In December 2006 Alex Welch asked on your website about this artist who, he said, had painted miners in Wales.

All I know is that he illustrated two books by a journalist and writer Theo Lang. The first was called "Cross Country” and it was on my parents bookshelf. I read it about sixty years ago. It has always remained in my memory and with difficulty I have borrowed it from the public library system.

The book describes a journey mainly on foot from Lands End to John O'Groats but there is a lengthy diversion into Wales and there are drawing of miners.

The second book is called “Highroad from Paris” and I have not yet seen it, but I intend to try and get hold of a copy. The drawings in “Coast to Coast” are intriguing.

Both books were published just after the Second World War.
Bruce Laird

From: Grant Waters
Sent: 06 December 2007

Hi,
Alex Welch was asking about an artist Maurice Sochachewsky, who painted South Wales miners in the 1940s. I have information about him and indeed I own a large painting 'Miner and Child' by Sochachewsky.

I don't have access to Alex's email address to send him the info he was seeking. Can you help? You are welcome to send my address to him.

Many thanks.

Grant Waters

From: Eileen Hauptman
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009

Hello,
I am wondering if you can help? I have just been introduced to your website and have seen the following.
 
An email from Grant Waters dated 6 December 2007 in response to an email of the
7 December 2006 from Alex Walsh regarding the above artist? Would you or anyone have more information about this artist's life and works. If the aforementioned are willing to share information I would be most grateful.  Please feel free to give them my email address.
I am most interested.
 
Thank you so much
Eileen Hauptman


Top

Menu
Maurice Sochachewsky Page 2

Glossary of Terms