ARTWORK by a former miner, now a famous North-East artist, which had lain forgotten for half-a-century has gone on show.

Paintings and sketch books by pitman painter Norman Cornish, 94, were found scattered around his studio, in Spennymoor, County Durham.

Some were piled up and forgotten about by the Spennymoor Settlement artist. They feature the people and places across the North-East.

Many of the works will now go on show in the Bishop Close Street display, at The Greenfield Gallery, at Greenfield Arts, in Newton Aycliffe.

Mike Thornton, Mr Cornish’s son-in-law, said: “We started to look round his studio a couple of years ago to make sense of it all.

“Pictures turned up all over the place. We unearthed a lot of paintings and drawings that we didn’t know existed and a lot of sketchbooks.

“They had been created over the last 60 years and they’re absolutely fascinating. We’re delighted to put them on show as they need to be seen.”

Mr Cornish worked down the Dean and Chapter coal mine, at Ferryhill, County Durham, before he turned to painting full-time.

The exhibition covers the time when the artist lived in Bishop’s Close Street, Spennymoor, from the early 1950s until 1967.

Katy Milne, director of arts and culture at Greenfield Arts, said: “We’re really privileged that we are displaying some of his work which has not been seen before.

“It’s such a lovely exhibition and it’s a pleasure to be able to allow people to see the work.”

The display is opens tomorrow (Thursday, June 26) and it runs until Wednesday, September 3 with free entry.

Doors are open from 10am to 9pm Monday to Thursday and from 10am to 4pm on Fridays.