The Fishmarket Salesman

[urbansheepdog]

I just finished painting this wee guy! When I worked in the fish trade (15 yrs) part of my job was to go into the Edinburgh Fishmarket on the Scottish east coast at 4.00am and sell whole (wet) fish, haddock, cod, salmon, trout, and shellfish and also various filleted fish we produced. The salesmen were easily spotted with their white long coats shouting their wares to sell to the fishmongers, the van hawkers and other fillet producers.
The salesmen would stand there shouting "Herring fillet buyers!" or whatever they were selling and mark down sales in their little red books. The fish trade, for the most part, is still an antiquated industry still weighing in stones and pounds and pencil on paper! ( in the UK evrything got switched to Kilos 16 years ago and was made compulsory for all trades). There has always been a healthy honesty within the fish community. Room for everyone. The Big guys buying from the wee guys if they had what they needed! Wholesome folks, "as honest as the day is long!"
With the ever growing power of the Mega supermarket chains the Edinburgh fishmarket will close one day soon and will go the same way as the Edinburgh meat market and the Edinburgh Fruit market. The lease on the once thriving roller shuttered, harbour side building, runs out in 5 years time! Plans are already afoot to make it into an upmarket bistro/stall-market attraction in it's ever growing high-rise luxury flat surroundings!
Sorry, rambling on a bit! just a bit of history into the idea behind the wee guy! "HADDIE BUYERS!"

[gene-messer]

Hey .. I like him ..really like the look of him .. and your painting is very good ..

we dont have many open fish markets here in the U.S. ..if any .. but I know there around

Gene

[Old_Gord]

Well done urbansheepdog, and a special thanks for the background history lesson.
Who knows, you might have crossed paths with something Aulddiiy helped pull out of the deep before it arrived in the fish market.

OG

[uvawyo]

Great carving
Great Painting
Super histry lesson

[Robert Cahill]

I agree with the others I really the the carving and the history lesson.

[Larry Marshall]

Well done! You've been busy.

[urbansheepdog]

Thank you again for all your encouragement! I'm still reading up on carving and trying different stuff and getting more confident with knife.