Acclaimed artist’s MND tribute to Fernando Ricksen

Eric McGirr, a well-known Scottish artist, has painted a one-of-a-kind portrait of late-footballer Fernando Ricksen, who died of motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019.

Eric, who painted many popular faces and stadiums in Scottish football in the 1990’s to early 2000’s, recently returned to his painting roots for a special tribute piece, which will raise funds for charity MND Scotland.

Derek McNee, owner of from Pink Gorilla Wall Art, said: “Eric’s family life and a new career path as a firefighter took hold from 2003 and he distanced himself from the artistic world due to time constraints.

“In a turn of fate, I bumped into Eric about five months ago and was telling him about my ventures with my Pink Gorilla Wall Art company and it fired up a conversation on how we utilise his self-proclaimed improved painting skills whilst raising money for charity.

“As our first chosen charity we picked MND Scotland as we have a mutual friend called Tam Agnew who lived with the disease for a considerable time and died last year unfortunately. We watched how powerful the disease is and what it does to somebody and felt we need to try and contribute. We also saw very closely Fernando Ricksen’s experience with the disease and we came up with this idea for the first painting.

“We contacted Fernando’s wife Veronika to offer the original painting as a gift and she has graciously accepted. We have printed 750 copies of the artwork which are now on sale, with 20% of all gross sales going to MND Scotland, to support others going through this devastating journey.”

Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s Head of Fundraising and Interim Chief Executive, said: “Fernando’s bravery in sharing both his shocking diagnosis and his life with MND was inspirational, and this piece of art will be a lasting tribute to his legacy.

“We are very grateful to Eric and Derek for donating 20% of the proceeds to MND Scotland. These funds will help us continue providing financial, emotional and practical support to families living with MND in Scotland and drive pioneering research which is taking us close to a cure.”

You can buy your Fernando Ricksen ‘Orange & Blue’ print by Eric McGirr for £49.99 – £79.99 on the Pink Gorilla Wall Art website.