Artwork created by a Moray youngster in honour of his great-grandfather has been given pride of place in a local fishing museum.
Oliver Merson decided to start working on the eye-catching image after Peter Coull, a former north-east fisherman, died at the age of 85.
The picture features a red fishing boat with the Fraserburgh registration FR 120 sailing over bright blue waves and is adorned with colourful quills made of card.
Oliver, who is now six, produced the piece with his dad’s help when he was only a toddler.
For the past few years, it has occupied a space on the walls of Buckie Library, but it has now been relocated to a more appropriate setting.
Oliver delivered it to the volunteers who run the Buckie and District Fishing Heritage Centre this week.
The group’s chairman, John Addison, was thrilled as the Portsoy Primary School pupil handed over the s image.
Oliver’s dad, Derek Merson, yesterday explained the significance of the quirky piece – which features a neon pink sky, a sun made up of red swirls and is dotted with tiny tin foil fish.
Mr Merson said: “Oliver’s great-granny and granddad died within a few months of each other in 2013 when he was little.
“We made the piece just afterwards as a way of remembering them, as he was – and still is – very into arts and crafts.
“I let him take charge, and the pink background was all his idea.” Upon completing the image, Mr Merson began researching Mr Coull’s life at sea, and learned he had fished from a herring boat called the Day Spring.
He added: “We found out the Day Spring’s registration was FR120 and added that to the picture.”
When Mr Merson recently visited the Buckie building he discussed the image with its secretary, Adam Robertson.
The Cullen dad said: “Mr Robertson said he would be delighted to have it, and it feels like this is where it belongs.
“Oliver felt quite proud of himself when he saw it in there.”
Fisherman Mr Coull earned his living by catching herring off Fraserburgh, but lived in Buckpool in his later years.
He died in January 2013, followed by his wife Mary that July.
