Family Fun

The Tradesmen Painters of North Shields I’ve always been surprised that North Shields doesn’t have its own school of painters like Cullercoats. Long overshadowed by the ‘Cullercoats Colony’, North Shields is finally being recognised as a hub for artists. However, a chance trip to a Hexham Antiques Market revealed that there was once a large community of artists in North Shields. On a random stall, I stumbled upon a bit of hidden history - a dusty stack of artists’ sketchbooks and drawings. They were battered and torn around the edges, but opening the pages revealed a series of beautiful illustrations and sketches. Gorgeous colour sketches of the Tyne and Northumberland leapt off the pages as well as drawings of boats and fishermen.