John Cameron Carslaw (1920 – 2016)
John Carslaw was born in Glasgow in 1920. He was the second youngest of a family of five. His father was a surgeon and his mother an artist. When his father retired, he bought a house in Rhu and a clinker built boat called Rowan. The family spent many summers sailing around the West Coast of Scotland where John developed his love of sailing. He attended boarding school in Edinburgh.
He joined the army at the age of 19 and was posted to Gibraltar in 1941 where he worked as a signalman in military intelligence for several years during the war. He was also a keen amateur radio transmitter for many years.
In addition to his love of sailing, he was fond of climbing and skiing in his spare time. He met Joan in Helensburgh and married at the age of 35. They had a house built which John designed, in Ardencaple Drive where he lived until the age of 93. They did not have a family but they doted on their little dachshund called Eiger. They travelled extensively and John was very proud to have flown on Concorde.
John was a member of the Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen. He worked for Singer for several years. He then went to work for the Ministry of Defence at Coulport working on the submarines until he retired. Sadly Joan died when John was 73.
John was best known as a keen artist. His time working as an engineer, where he often had to work on intricate drawings sparked his interest in portraiture and sculpture. He honed his aesthetic skills in art classes at Glasgow School of Art. His work often featured at the annual art exhibition in Helensburgh where he won many prizes. He was made Honorary President of the Helensburgh and District Art Club in 1994. Latterly he took an interest in writing poetry and also published some books of his artwork.
John Carslaw was a Trustee of the Anderson Trust in 1980 when it was first established.
Painting in the Anderson Collection
(106) Portrait of Evelyn Carslaw (oil)
by her son John Carslaw
Donated by the artist shortly before his death in 2016
