A small army of rarely seen miniature miners are currently wowing art lovers at the Bob Abley Gallery, in Spennymoor Town Hall. The gallery has secured a “gang” of 22 stunning 3ft figures, inspired by the art of Spennymoor’s famous son, Norman Cornish.
Creator of the artworks, Terry Parks, drew inspiration from Cornish, having met him when studying art and then going on to write his dissertation on the lauded artist.
Mr Parks passed away earlier this year aged 89 and his family thought it fitting for his talents to be showcased alongside famous pieces by Cornish.
Michael Hanwell, Mr Parks’ grandson, said the family is proud to display the papier mâché miners at the gallery, which displays a wealth of work inspired by and derived from the County Durham coalfields.
“Since I was little, these figures were placed all over my grandfather’s house,” said Michael.
“Every windowsill had one or two, displayed for his own enjoyment and for us as a family. I don’t think he’d ever considered exhibiting them.
“We were so used to seeing them, it was only after he died that it struck us how many of the figures he’d created and how impressive they looked when displayed together.
“We knew about my grandfather’s admiration for Cornish so the fact the Bob Abley Gallery has so much of his work and his studio on display, it’s fitting to show his work here too.”
The artists shared similar backgrounds, both starting out working at the coalface. Mr Parks, originally from Trimdon, worked as a “hewer” at Fishburn Colliery aged 18 to 29 before switching career to become an art teacher in Hartlepool. Every model he created immortalises a real person from work, the neighbourhood, pub or elsewhere in his life.
Many depict hewers at the coalface and mirror Mr Parks’ own experiences. He employed wire, clay and papier mâché to create the sculptures, capturing the character of the coalfield. Working in the 1950s and 60s, the materials and style perfectly reflect that period.
Some works even have names and stories attached. A man with the dog was a neighbour that kept whippets, and ‘Billy P’ was remembered for an incident on the colliery conveyor belt, which started up when he was distracted, badly injuring his hand.
Every model was created from memory, Mr Parks sketching them first before spending hours agonising over and perfecting the intricate sculptures.
In total, 22 figures will be displayed in the Bob Abley Gallery for three months, with a selection of the figures available to purchase.
Gallery manager, John Thompson, is excited to unveil the figures to the public. He said: “It’s an honour to be the first gallery to show these incredible sculptures together and I’m sure visitors will be bowled over by them when they go on display.
“We jumped at the chance of creating a display. They fit perfectly with permanent exhibits and the general theme running through the gallery, but the fact Mr Parks himself was such a Cornish fan, even drawing inspiration from his style and work, makes it even more special.”
Mr Parks created the miniature miners from the memories of his days down the mine and each one is named for the person it was based on, with some even having a backstory.
“Having grown up surrounded by this fantastic art, it is really special to think that others will now be able to enjoy these works,” added Michael.
“The family each selected a favourite figure that we will keep forever as a memory of my grandfather, but there are so many that we decided to make some available for purchase. We hope they’ll be bought by collectors who treasure them as much as we have.”
The miniature miners can be viewed, and bought, at the Bob Abley Gallery, which is open seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm weekdays and from 9am to 4pm on weekends.
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
