Thirsk & Carlton Miniott W.I. Get Arty!...

In May we welcomed four new members to Thirsk and Carlton Miniott W.I. - this sets a new record for the number of people joining T&CM WI at one meeting.

Our speaker that evening was Mike Thornton, who told us about his father-in-law, celebrated artist from Spennymoor, Co Durham:- Norman Cornish (1919-2014).

How he had to start work in the coal mine at 14 years old, 6 years later, he won a place at the Slade, but the outbreak of WW2 meant he had to stay working at the coal face, not becoming a full-time artist until 1966.

A friend and contemporary of L.S.Lowry, Cornish's paintings are a social commentary on the life of a miner living and working in a northern pit village.

Just as Lautrec and Degas show the world of the Parisienne theatre and nightclubs in earlier times - Cornish is less glamourous, but just as dramatic.

(To read the rest of this article go along to your nearest stockist and buy a copy of the paper)