Derek Slater - Painter - The Coal Mine

 

The Coal Miner has a history of working in a job which was arduous, 

dangerous and unhealthy, yet their contribution 

to so many aspects of life 

in coal mining communities and beyond is immeasurable.

Being employed in the mining industry for over 25 years, 

my interest in the portrayal of the pitman at work in different eras 

made it an obvious choice for my paintings. 

The cramped and hazardous conditions are a source of 

my endeavour to capture the miner in his working environment.

My interest in coal mining art is also well documented 

by pitmen painters in the North East such as Tom McGuinness, 

Oliver Kilbourn from the Ashington Group, 

Bob Olley and Norman Cornish. 

However it was also an inspiration for artists such as J.M.W.Turner, 

Sir Frank Brangwyn, Josef Herman, L.S. Lowry, 

Henry Moore and Keith Vaughan.

The Coal Mine