In Praise of Cornish

By Stuart James Fraser - GNW Management Team.

After many years of wishing, I recently acquired a 6.5 meter long, 4 berth Sprinter style Campervan, a lovely bit of kit, and will I hope, be the vehicle for many Plein Air painting adventures over the next few years. However, for my maiden voyage, I decided to visit the the Kith and Kinship Exhibition highlighting the work of celebrated British artists, Norman Cornish and L.S Lowry at the wonderful Bowes museum, who describes the exhibition thus :

“This powerful exhibition celebrates the region’s distinctive industry, emotive landscapes and playful recreation activities, with a narrative that brings to life the relevance of these pieces today and how they resonate with a sense of place, hope and aspiration. This is a fascinating display by two extraordinary storytellers of everyday life in the north, seen through different perspectives. It features 35 rarely seen or previously unseen works among the more than 50 paintings, drawings and sketches on display. “

The 1st Floor Gallery at Bowes.

You should probably be aware in advance that I am a huge fan of Norman Cornish, and his work was my main reason for the visit. I also must admit at the outset, that I have never really been an admirer of of L.S. Lowry, but I was happy to be convinced by this exhibition. The exhibition itself is fabulous and I would urge any art fan to get there before it ends on January 19th 2025. Alas, I am still not convinced by Lowry, but readily acknowledge this might be down to my own ignorance and prejudice, so I intend to focus this blog post upon Norman Cornish.

About Norman Cornish

Norman is without a doubt the most well know mining artist of the 20th century. For over 50 years his gritty, amusing and documentary images depicting the tough working life of miners and their families. The careful observations of day to day events in and around his Spennymoor home have fascinated his viewers, myself included. In fact I find some similarity between Normans work and another of my hero’s the famous British social cartoonist Carl Giles. The full colour paintings produced as covers for the annual albums I collected, were a feature in every waiting room when I was a child.
Norman was born on the 18th of November 1919 in the small town of Spennymoor. At the age of just 14 Norman left school and began work as a coal miner. From a young age Norman had always been passionate about drawing and painting and he soon became aware of the amazing sketching club run by the miners in Spennymoor. Norman was accepted as a member at the age of 15, giving him the opportunity to meet other likeminded artists and ultimately offering him the opportunity to exhibit his work.

I think I love Normans sketchbooks most of all, he was an excellent draughtsman, capable of high detail and impact, but I adore his loose sketches using the refillable Flo-Master pen he used for most of his life. He would sit unobtrusively employing a technique I call “taking the pen for a walk”

i.e. once you start you do not lift off until finished, the results are loose, free and full of life.

Norman Cornish sketches at the Bowes

Miners, heads down and with sloping shoulders brave the snow on their way to the pit.

Over the years Norman's work was exhibited more and more however it was only in 1966 that Norman chose to leave the pits and, with huge support from his wife Sarah, worked to become a Artist. In the years that followed Norman became known as one of the most sought-after contemporary artists in the country.

In 1974 Norman was awarded an Honorary Master of Arts degree from Newcastle University and in 1995 awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Northumbria, to whom he presented a body of his work for their permanent collection in 1997. Norman also had a long-standing connection to the University of Sunderland, which was recognised in 2012 when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University.

Norman continued to paint until his peaceful passing at the age of 94 in August 2014. His work continues to be loved by people of all ages and backgrounds. What a great legacy to have as an artist.

A large finished painting from one of his careful sketches.