Statement of Intent No 2 for Semester 2

During the last semester I worked intensively creating work on the theme of prisons and boxers. This semester I have decided to concentrate my work on the Pitmen Painters.

My inspiration for this came when I read about a man from Sunderland, Richard Pearson, who was recently imprisoned for forging Pitmen Artist , Norman Cornish's work. Norman Cornish himself strongly refuted that he had anything to do with the Pitmen Painters as he lived in Spennymoor, Co. Durham (Sunderland Echo, 2017).

Nonetheless, regardless of whether he is a Pitmen or not, his work is held in high esteem and it does not alter the fact that Richard Pearson was guilty of forging this man's work. He was sentenced to 3 years 7 months. My intention is obviously not to forge these works but to study the style of the Pitmen Painters and recreate similar pieces.

The Pitman Painters started off in Woodhorn Colliery in Ashington, Northumberland in 1934 and created works until 1984. Since then, a play has been made about them which has been performed in London's West End, Broadway, New York as well as doing a UK tour ( Hall, 2008).

In Woodhorn Colliery there is a permanent exhibition, which I have visited and was very interesting. The artwork of the Pitmen Painters focuses mainly on everyday life in the North East, from being down the pit to growing vegetables in their allotments. The most prominent members of the group are Oliver Kilbourne, George Blessed, Jimmy Floyd, Harry Wilson. Len Robinson and John F. Harrison. These are the artists that I will concentrate on for this next semester's work.

This is one of my interpretations of the Pitman style and is called My Dad's Allotment. It is acrylics on canvas .