AN exhibition of work by County Durham’s most famous artist is going on show at Greenfield Arts, in Newton Aycliffe, as part of the Norman Cornish Centenary celebrations.

A spokesperson for Greenfield Arts said: “Greenfield Arts are thrilled to host this exhibition which chronicles the journey of Norman Cornish and the great determination and resilience he showed to become a professional artist.

“The exhibition highlights key moments of his career and showcases work that was produced when materials or conditions were not always optimal.”

The exhibition includes a portrait of Little Sheila in pastels on the back of a Cadbury chocolate box, the miners on the pit road on a page ripped out of the Radio Times, the Signal Box at Trimdon where he used to get off the bus to court his future wife Sarah and an early oil painting on board of the pit gantry now owned by Norman’s grandson.

There are also preparatory sketches for his major Port of Tyne Authority commissions.

Mr Cornish was born in November 1919 in Spennymoor. At the age of 14, he left school and began work as a coal miner and from an very young age, developed a passion for drawing and painting.

The exhibition opens on Thursday and runs to December 11.