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£160.00

I am an emotional artist, particularly concerned with (and about) the world we live in and our two-way relationship with it. Where we came from, what we are doing to this Earth of ours, and how the world kicks back when we exploit it for our own selfish ends … these have all been themes in previous exhibitions.

Shropshire Mining and Miners includes pieces on the minerals extracted locally to serve our demanding society; pieces on the difficult and dangerous strategies used in extraction; and pieces on the cruel and life-shortening conditions suffered by ‘the old men’ whose employment reduced their life expectancy to little more than half of what we expect today.

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Description

“As They Saw Themselves” is a collection of sketches depicting the men as they worked down the mine.

Before I went down into the mine I was looking at the surrounding area and seeing its beauty.  As soon as I entered the mine my whole concept changed.  Harshness and danger impacted more than beauty.  This led to my current collection of work.  I have explored the rock patterns and contrasted them with the beauty that lies outside. More than this: once you’re in the mine you feel you can’t escape … as many miners never did. What’s left in the mines are memories and echoes from the past, with the marks made by man and ghostly shapes in the dark. Those memories are the theme of this exhibition.

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