Local artist Gerald Thornton will be holding an exhibition of his paintings in Newnham on Severn this month to celebrate the recent launch of his second book.

Aged ninety-one , Gerald has spent a lifetime capturing the textures and colours of the Forest of Dean. Often focusing on industrial themes, his paintings are strongly rooted in his experience of growing up in a working-class mining community in the 1930s and 40s.

Gerald was born at Five Acres in the Forest of Dean, in 1934. One of six children born to a coal mining family, he was educated at the local secondary modern school, leaving at the age of 15 to undertake a carpentry apprenticeship.

Despite showing artistic talents from an early age, circumstances led him to remain in the construction industry until retirement in 1999. Without any formal artistic training, Gerald continued to draw and paint in his spare time, teaching himself and learning from others.

Since retirement he has been able to devote more time to painting, in particular developing an interest in depicting the cultural and industrial heritage of his beloved Forest of Dean.

In 2018 he published his first book ‘Better Late Than Never’, followed earlier this year by his second publication, ‘Living my Dream’.

Taking place in the gallery at The George Café, Newnham-on-Severn, Gerald’s latest exhibition is also part of the FOD Fringe 2025 “Forest-grown arts festival”, organised by Wyldwood Arts. The exhibition will include a special display of some of Gerald’s ‘Forest Heritage Collection’.

Gerald says “my paintings, depicting the cultural and industrial heritage of the Forest of Dean, enable me to remember who I am and where I was born, growing up in a working class mining community through the second world war and years following”.

Each painting has a significant story. ‘Leaving Cannop Behind’ for example depicts Gerald’s Father walking home from Cannop Colliery at the end of a shift.

‘The Tin Bath’ resembles a typical miners cottage, “like the one where I was born and raised as a child” say Gerald. It evokes memories of his father arriving home from work “desperate to rid himself of the days dirt and grime”.

According to Gerald “The cottage where I was born, and many others like it, have long since disappeared, together with the community culture of that time. But these changes cannot steal the images that live on in my mind”.

The exhibition, which is titled ‘A Lifetime of Painting’, contains a collection of scenes from the Forest of Dean, past and present, as well as its surrounding areas and other parts of the world which have inspired Gerald to pick up his brushes.

The exhibition runs until Saturday and is open 11am-4pm daily. Entry is free and paintings and prints, together with copies of Gerald’s two books, will be available to purchase.

Last week saw Gerald talking about his work to Jason Griffiths as part of the regular monthly series of Thursday Talks hosted by The George Cafe.