Pimmee Memorial Tablet. 1998.
My family once owned a Cocker Spaniel named Pimmee, named after my parents favourite drink, Pimms No 1. Pimmee died in 1972 and I thought that it would be a good idea to commemorate him with his own memorial tablet.
Pimmee is shown rising up or beaming up, the idea coming from ‘Star Trek’, from the grave, with his casket lid broken into two pieces and flung heavenwards along with soil mixed with green grave gravel. Amongst the clouds God welcomes Pimmee into heaven by shaking his paw. God wears a wrist bracelet with the word ‘Duw’ inscribed upon it. This is the Welsh word for God, Welsh being thought of as the language of heaven. The gateway to heaven, looking like a kennel, is wide open and is reached by three steps, taken from the pop song, ‘Three Steps to Heaven’. Amongst the clouds there are seven lightning flashes representing the seven spirits of God, from the New Testament book of Revelation, chapter 4. The resurrection of Pimmee and indeed of the dead is heralded by two modern ‘cool’ angels, both having jet engines on their wings and also each blowing a trumpet. The blowing of trumpets and welcoming into heaven are taken from the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4.
At the base of the tablet there are two laurel leaves on each side of a Classical moulding. The laurels signify victory over death and the Classical moulding links this tablet to those Classical tablets seen in chapels, churches and cathedrals. The overall shape of the tablet is derived from rockets and Gothic architecture. The red along the base symbolises the flames of the jet of a rocket propelling the whole to heaven.
The tablet measures about 16 inches wide by about 17 inches high. Because of the complexity of surface decorations and difficulties in making the tablet as one single piece, the main body was made as a separate piece. The two angels, the seven lightning flashes, God’s hand with Pimmee’s paw shake and Pimmee rising up were all modelled, decorated and fired independently from the main body and all these parts subsequently glued onto the main body. However before gluing could take place the main body itself was biscuit fired. Unfortunately during this firing the main body broke into three pieces. Undeterred I decorated and glazed fired these three pieces, glued them back together and to give strength, I cut a piece of wood and glued it to the back of the main body. I then painted the back black and fixed three rings to the top of the wood, so that the finished tablet could be wall hung. Glazes, slips, enamel paint and acrylic paint were used for surface decoration of the tablet. The two half’s of the Pimmee’s casket lid, which incidentally were made from card and acrylic painted, were a later addition.
I made my Pimmee Memorial Tablet in the third year of the BA (Hons) Ceramics Degree course.