Man arrested after death within prison

my sketchbooks to have a life of their own and be of interest to people.

“I hope they are not cast aside and forgotten but appreciated in some way. They should be available for the public to view and to teach people to look at things.”

His life – and his clothes – were set up to paint and sketch. His jacket was adapted by his wife Sarah who created a ‘poacher’s pocket’ on the inside, large enough to hold his sketchbook and pen, so that wherever he went, his sketchbook and pen were always with him.

Mike said: “He described to me once how sketching to him was like an itch he had to scratch.”

Prolific doesn’t do Cornish justice. Some of the sketches aren’t in books but on scraps of paper, on newspaper print and even copies of the Radio Times, anything that came to hand as he walked around Spennymoor or visited its pubs.

One of the walls at the family home in Bishop’s Close Street was once used by Cornish as an opportunity to work on a large surface prior to wallpapering.

The effect of his work, even at their most basic, is moving.

“A lot of people identified with his work,” said Mike. “There was a very A selection of the Norman Cornish paintings on show at the Shipley Art Gallery strong human attachment to it. Perhaps people identified with their own upbringing and background that made them who they are today.

“Some look at his paintings with a tear in their eye. It is part of the heritage of the region.”

And, specifically, part of the heritage of Spennymoor, where the local town council is set to launch The Cornish Trail in honour of the artist around April next year.

In it a series of places are identified and at each location there will be information about its significance to Cornish alongside one or a number of his paintings depicting the place.

There will be works showing mining scenes above and below ground in Jubilee Park, paintings of the people of Spennymoor around the Market Place and scenes inside pubs next to The Brewers Arms pub on high Street.

On the walkway to Spennymoor Leisure Centre from the High Street will be works depicting the now demolished Bishop’s Close Street where Cornish lived both as a child and with his wife and children.

There will be a stand at the junction of Church Street and Silver Street where Berriman’s Chip Van – which featured in many of Cornish’s paintings and is now restored and on display at Beamish Museum – once stood.

And in the late autumn of next year, around October, the recreation of his Bishop’s Close Street family house is expected to be completed at Beamish, including the contents of his studio.

Cornish continued to paint until he passed away at the age of 94 in August 2014. His work continues to be loved by people of all ages and backgrounds, and sells for considerable amounts.

Mike said there were other things in the pipeline too which will be revealed later.

■ Behind the Scenes: The Norman Cornish Centenary 1919-2019 at the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead, from 11am to 12.15pm. Entry £4. A MAN has been arrested in connection with the death of Cowgate prisoner Simon Boyle.

The 31-year-old was serving five years at Holme House Prison on Teesside after being caught with a sawn-off shotgun. He died there on Sunday morning.

His uncle and fellow inmate, Richard Boyle, was left in a coma. The 40-year-old is still in hospital and his condition has been described as stable.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “A 62-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs and he has been released under investigation.

“An investigation is ongoing but officers believe the death and illness could be connected with drugs and we await test results.”