AN artist and author is to shed light on the work of pit painters such as Norman Cornish at a guest talk being hosted by a North-East university.

Dr Robert McManners, who is the author of several books on mining art, will cover Cornish and other painters such as Tom McGuiness in the talk entitled ‘Shafts of Light’ next Wednesday (September 9) at Sunderland University’s Sir Tom Cowie campus.

The aim is to examine in depth what is considered an almost forgotten phenomenon.

Dr McManners, the Deputy Lieutenant of Durham, was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his services to North-East art and heritage.

He said: “I am a doctor by profession, but an artist by inclination. My fascination for mining art began with my childhood in Ferryhill, the very centre of the Durham Coalfield. Much of my own early works were illustrations of colliery life in my home town.”

“Mining art, a vital part of our industrial heritage, was almost lost to us as it was fast disappearing from living memory.

“Shafts of Light considers the fundamental question – why did they do it? - and introduces us to the work of over 70 coalfield artists who produced the most complete experiential visual record of an industry in existence.”

The free talk starts at 2.30pm and will last an hour. Anyone interested is asked to arrive at the Prospect Building between 2pm and 2.30pm in order to register their attendance before the lecture begins.