A POWERFUL painting depicting the relief and exhaustion felt by miners at the end of a gruelling shift has been gifted to a gallery.

Leaving the Cage, by Derek Slater, now features in the permanent exhibition at Spennymoor Town Hall Gallery in County Durham.

The town hall – Spennymoor Town Council’s base – opened a gallery and became home to Durham Mining Museum in 2011.

It was this combination that inspired Mr Slater, who was a miner for more than two decades, to donate the painting.

He left school at 15 to work at Mainsforth Colliery and worked for the National Coal Board until 1987 after the closure of the pit.

He pursued an existing interest in art – having won the Sir Derek Ezzra art trophy in 1982 – and studied fine arts at the University of Sunderland so he could turn his hobby into a career.

For his degree course he painted a large mural depicting the decline of the region’s heavy industry. It was bought by Spennymoor Town Council and is still displayed in the town hall.

He has worked as an art tutor, including 13 years at Holme House Prison, in Stockton, but now concentrates on his own work, which can sell for more than £3,000 a piece.

Mr Slater, 63, from Ferryhill Station, said: “Most of my work has an ecological or mining theme. Mining is part of me and is of cultural and local interest.”

Mr Slater’s pictures aim to capture the cramped and hazardous working conditions of a miner and pay tribute to their contribution to coal mining communities.

He is proud to follow the region’s tradition of coal mining art, which includes the likes of pitmen painters Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish.

They were members of the famous Spennymoor Settlement art group.

Leaving the Cage was based partly on a photograph but also Mr Slater’s memories. He said: “It’s about the people and atmosphere. The men are coming out of the cage, down the steps and feeling relief at the end of another shift.”

The gallery’s volunteer curator, Bob Abley, said “It is a picture that not only fits well with the council’s art collection but also with the opening of the mining museum.”

Mayor Bill Waters added: “I think it is excellent. It is a fantastic addition to the gallery and we very much appreciate the gesture.”

Following a festive break, normal opening hours at the gallery and museum will resume in the new year.

They are open Monday to Friday, from noon to 4pm, and on Saturdays, from 10am to 2pm. Entry is free.