"Painting is an ineluctable compulsion, and the front bedroom at home is not only a studio, but also a
kind of sanctuary. During the day my wife will tell me that I need more fresh air, and at dead of
night, when the compulsion to paint is as strong as ever, she complains that she has no company
in bed!" -- Nicholas Evans
kind of sanctuary. During the day my wife will tell me that I need more fresh air, and at dead of
night, when the compulsion to paint is as strong as ever, she complains that she has no company
in bed!" -- Nicholas Evans
At the age of 13, Nicholas Evans (1907-2004) worked in the coal mines, as did his father. Back in those days, children as young as 8 worked in the coal mines, in dangerous conditions, not seeing the sun for days on end. No child labor laws, no safety regulations to speak of.
Evans only worked in the mines for three years. His mother made him quit after his father died due to a mining accident. Bless her grieving heart! He found a job as a railwayman, becoming a train engine driver for the Great Western Railway. A man of strong Christian faith, he was also a lay Pentecostal Preacher.
When he was a boy, a teacher had encouraged him to draw, giving him a new pencil. He ended up not pursuing art. He could not afford to buy paper. Many years later, in his retirement, Evans took up painting. Self-taught, working with dark colors, using even his fingers and rags, he produced an astonishing number of paintings. His works intertwine two seemingly disparate themes: the hard life of workers in the mines and his Christian faith. Altho he only worked in the mines for three years, that time and his father's death, made a profound and lasting impact on him, which he expresses so movingly in his paintings.
Evans only worked in the mines for three years. His mother made him quit after his father died due to a mining accident. Bless her grieving heart! He found a job as a railwayman, becoming a train engine driver for the Great Western Railway. A man of strong Christian faith, he was also a lay Pentecostal Preacher.
When he was a boy, a teacher had encouraged him to draw, giving him a new pencil. He ended up not pursuing art. He could not afford to buy paper. Many years later, in his retirement, Evans took up painting. Self-taught, working with dark colors, using even his fingers and rags, he produced an astonishing number of paintings. His works intertwine two seemingly disparate themes: the hard life of workers in the mines and his Christian faith. Altho he only worked in the mines for three years, that time and his father's death, made a profound and lasting impact on him, which he expresses so movingly in his paintings.
In Entombed – Jesus in the Midst, we see Christ, dressed as a miner, wearing a headlamp, while holding another lamp and a set of keys. Miners sit at his feet, as rats crawl beside them.
The mine is a dark, hellish place of
backbreaking, dangerous labor.
Transport to the Far End.
Miners’ Strike – a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work
No minimum wage. If you were injured
and couldn't work, you were out of a job.
No Workmen's Comp. The wealthy
owners didn't care.
They still don't. Just look at recent
events here in the U.S.
Specifically the West Virginia mine
disaster in April 2010. Take a cold,
hard look at the executives' response.
See Nicholas Evans' obituary in The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nicholas-evans-549414.html
and in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/mar/15/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries
And, insights from the blog, Babylon Wales:
http://babylonwales.blogspot.com/2006/09/nicholas-evans-welsh-van-gogh.html
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