Robert Olley Artwork

Happy Fatha’s Day to you all 😁😁😁

theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/07/orgreave-afer-guernica-last-cage-down-exhibition-miners-strikes-art-gallery

Fantastic write up in today's Guardian about the Battle Of Orgreave.

Were you there?

Guernica-style battle of Orgreave painting stars in miners’ strikes exhibition Bob Olley’s unsettling vision of clash between miners and police is part of 40th anniversary show in Bishop Auckland

Winter 1950

“My father, as an employee of the NCB like most people around us was entitled to a free monthly allocation of coal, 1 ton in the winter months and 3/4 of a ton in the summer months delivered by a Coal Board lorry. Almost every home back then was heated by coal, dangerous paraffin heaters or electric three bar heaters. Not all households were in receipt of a coal allocation so the back lane deliveries attracted a queue of customers wanting to buy coal at threepence a bucket, especially in the winter months." - Bob Olley

Robert Olley Artwork ©

Remember these characters?

⚽️ Who would be in your dream team? ⚽️

? ?

🗣 We need your help. 🗣

84/85 – The Longest Year is the Museum’s project on the Miners’ Strike. With a yearlong exhibition and programme of events, launching on 6 March 2024, we will be looking at the strike through the memories and stories of those who lived through it.

This is where you come in. We are looking for:

- Miners and their families who wish to be interviewed.
- Objects related to the strike.
- Your memories.

This call out is to anyone who experienced the strike at the time, whether this is as a mineworker, relative of a miner or someone who lived within the mining communities during 1984/85. We would particularly encourage those to come forward whose stories tend to go unheard, especially those who went back to work early and those who chose not to strike.

By contributing memories, members of the public have the chance to have their say while also committing their own story to the permanent collection for future generations to learn from. Contributions and participation will be treated in the strictest confidence; recordings and memories can also be anonymised if preferred.

To find out more, and to share your memories, visit 👉 www.ncm.org.uk/84-85-memories/

Listen to a story told by South Shields artist, Bob Olley 📖 Children can recreate the sights, sounds, smells, touch, and tastes of Mr Olley's story, Davey's First Shift.
⏰ 2-3pm, Saturday 18 November
🎟️ Free, booking essential - https://bit.ly/40cz1os

The session is suitable for all audiences, but may be especially beneficial for those with Profound Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) or Special Educational Needs Disabilities (SEND) because they are presented in an inclusive way that offers meaningful experiences through sensory engagement.

Shift Change At Whitburn Colliery

"This painting is based on the shift change on the heapstead, which was the incline leading up to the shafts of Whitburn Colliery. Their stint over, the early morning 4am shift meet the back shift men beginning at 10am. Ci******es with only an inch or so of to***co left are given by those going down the pit to those who have just finished their shift. Everyone is searched by the banksman before going down the pit. If someone is caught with ci******es or matches it means instant dismissal so the miners going down the pit give their half smoked tab to those that have just finished their shift. Information is gleaned regarding the state of the work place their counterparts have left."

👻👻Spooky vibes tonight at Beamish for us and the kids with their Granda Bobby 👻👻

🎃Beamish Museum Sanddancer Clothing 🎃

Join artist and South Shields legend, Bob Olley, as he shares stories about his life and experiences, in this intimate discussion at South Shields Museum.

Bob will discuss the many inspirations behind his artworks, as well as share memories of his time living and working in the region. Tickets £5 - https://bit.ly/3QFlva9

😲😲😲

🥰 Having a neb at Dad’s sketches 🥰

🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️ Congratulations to Angie Robb and Paul Melvin! You’ve won two copies of The Final Mile!

Thank you to everyone who took part and the best of luck to all of the runners next week 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

🤩 🏃🏽 GIVEAWAY 🏃🏻‍♀️ 🤩

With the GNR 2023 just around the corner we’d like to give away 4 signed The Final Mile prints!

If this run means something to you, whether you’ve ran it before, doing it this year or just love the print please tag someone in the post below.

Tomorrow at 6pm we’ll randomly choose a name from the comments on Fb and Instagram and that person and the person tagged will win a personalised print each 🏃🏽🏃🏽🏃🏽

**Please only comment on either Facebook or Instagram, not both**

Good luck!!

Stuck for something to do in the last few days of the summer holidays?

Get yourself down to South Shields Museum and check out the current exhibition Scran, where you explore South Tyneside’s evolving foot and drink history 🥟🥟🥟

🎨🎨 Dear Collectors,

We have a brand new series of original oil painting for sale. We will filter some through FB and Instagram but if you’d like to see them altogether please get intouch. 🎨🎨🎨

The St Hilda Colliery Explosion 1839.

On the morning of 28th June 1839 a miner entered a poorly ventilated 10th district, looking for a shovel using a candle as a light. This caused a devastating firedamp explosion with fatal results.

When the smoke was seen coming from the shaft, crowds of people from the miner’s cottages that were close to the pit, assembled at the pithead. They stood in mute despair and there was frantic grief as the bodies were brought to the surface and the relatives took them home in carts.
William Anderson, a viewer at the colliery, went down soon after the disaster happened and he stayed until 2 p.m, when he was brought to the surface, exhausted. Mr Mather, a wine merchant of South Shields, also went down the mine to give restoratives to any of the men who showed signs of life and medical gentlemen of the town went to the pit to give their services both above and below ground. Most of the men who came out of the pit were suffering from the effects of gas and when they had rested at the surface they were able to continue their work underground. One man who came out of the mine almost unconscious did not regain consciousness as quickly as the others and when asked how he was he replied, “I am not well, Sir. I have two sons in there”. In the course of the day, 51 bodies were recovered from the mine, some only aged 12, 6 horses and 2 ponies were also killed.

St Hilda Church was not big enough to lay out all of the bodies so St Bede’s School Hall was also used.

Over the years so many people have asked “who is Bob Owens?” Anyone who has the Netty will recognise his name.

Bob and Dad met almost fifty years back as fresh employees of Plessy Telecoms. They hit it off immediately, both with the same sense of humour that made going to work a pleasure. There were many funny adventures, one of them was an office Christmas party held in the La Strada night club. Bob and Dad drank late into the night and were the last ones there. Eventually they were roughly escorted to the door by two burly bouncers. Outside Bob remembered he had won a wooden back scratcher in the raffle and had left it in the club and set out to retrieve it by banging on the door demanding the return of his prize. After a few minutes his back scratcher came flying through the toilet window followed by a barrage of abuse from the heavies. Bob, in his most gentlemanly voice spoke through the letter box and thanked them for their trouble and wished them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Just one of the many great times they had together.

Their friendship grew and Dad asked Bob to be his best man which he accepted.

A few years later while Dad was painting The Westoe Netty he asked Bob if he could add his name to it. Bob’s only reply was “will it make me famous?” 🙂.

His name is on 1000’s of walls ❤️.

Last Friday was a very sad day as we lost a dear neighbour, family friend, best mate and a part of history from a painting that is now all over the world.

Miss you man! Be with your Lady Kath.

Rest in peace ✨

The artistic streak totally runs through our family 😆😆😆

The likeness is uncanny 😆😆

Happy Fathers Day lads!

This is possibly one of the most extraordinary paintings Dad has created. You can almost feel the heat!
The inspiration came from the miners protesting against colliery closures in the 70’s and 80’s. The obligatory piece of equipment that was used was the brazier - an old oil drum with holes banged into it. The fuel was usually old wooden pallets.
One of the sites of the strikers was at the Westoe Colliery entrance, on the corner of Leighton Street and Milner Street.

😳😳I love having a little neb around Dad’s studio.
The smell of the turps, the leftover mixed colours he’s used, total random stuff and a bit chaotic but everything has a use and a reason to be there ☺️☺️
It always makes me smile 😊 😊😊

Absolutely loving our new Cancer Connections picture done by the talented Bob Olley
This kind of sums up how diverse and inclusive we are at the charity.
Bob you absolutely got it spot on, thank you so much.

Amazing night last night for the Mayors Civic Ball. Lush food and company and Dad even managed to make a work of art out of dessert. But the best part was getting to dance with my old man to my favourite Beatles song When I Saw her Standing There.

Boy can he move for an 83 year old 💃🏻💃🏻

💛💛Happy Mothers Day everyone 💛💛