James More Horsburgh was born in Hartlepool in 1924, the elder son of a Pittenweem fisherman, Robert and his Burghead born wife, Ann. He has always been named by his middle name of “More” which is his Mother’s maiden name. This was because he had an older stepbrother who was also named James.

More Horsburgh was brought up in Pittenweem, attending the local primary and secondary schools before going to sea at the age of fourteen. His first berth was on his Uncle’s boat, where he started work as the cook. He has lived all of his live in Pittenweem, apart from a spell in the Royal Navy from 1942 to 1946, when he served on anti submarine trawlers as an ASDIC (sonar) operator for approximately one year. After this period he was drafted to a minesweeping flotilla in the Mediterranean.

He has had no formal art training and is entirely self taught. But his artistic talent was evident at a very early age. However he was only really able to concentrate on his art after he had retired at the age of sixty five, after a lifetime at sea as a fisherman.

Since his retirement he has exhibited at Pittenweem arts festival. Most of his paintings are done from memory and his most recent works are painted using acrylics, although in the past he has painted with oils.