A FAMILY portrait by one of the region's best-known living artists is coming under the hammer.

The portrait of Anne Cornish by her father, Norman, will be sold at Newcastle auctioneers Anderson and Garland on Tuesday, April 26.

Mr Cornish was born in Spennymoor, County Dur-ham, in 1919, and is famous for his mining pictures, inspired by his time down the pits from the age of 14.

Picture specialist John Anderson said: "Although Norman is justly famous for his oil, watercolour and pencil studies of local pitmen working or relaxing, he is also a superb potrait painter, particularly when picturing himself, his wife, Sarah, daughter, Anne, and son, Josh.

"This is the first portrait of Anne we can recall having been brought into us for sale, and shows her as a girl in the early 1960s."

The fine art sale will also include six works by Ralph Hedley, who was born in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 1848.

Published: 18/04/2005