Very well painted and atmospheric original watercolour, by the listed Barnsley artist Eric Hill (1921 - 2021), painted circa 1980.

Titled "Rag . Bone" depicting a busy South Yorkshire pit village in the middle of the century, likely based on Grimethorpe near the artist's home. The terraced houses lead up to the pit head, with the Rag Bone man on his horse and cart in the middle of the street, numerous children are playing in the street and adults walking their dogs. A lovely example of the artists work, painted in his vibrant style, well observed and preserving a little slice of social history.

Signed lower left and fully signed and inscribed by the artist verso with the title. 

Watercolour on heavy wove paper, in a later stained and gilt wood frame with double, acid free, mounts.

Image size 34.5cm x 47cm; frame size 56.5cm x 69cm.

Watercolour in excellent original condition (see photos). Frame and mount clean (see photos).

Comes with our Certificate of Authenticity - guaranteed authentic and original.

Overseas buyers please check eBay Global Shipping Program for the delivery cost to your location.

Delivered ready to hang.

Eric Hill 1921 - 2021

British townscape, landscape and figure painter in watercolours.

Eric Hill was born in Hellifield, North Yorkshire in 1921, moving with his family to Royston near Barnsley when he was seven years old. After leaving school, Hill went to work as a painter and decorator for the National Coal Board, where he was to work for the rest of his life except for a period of six years when he served in the Army as a driver during the Second World War.

It was on his return from service that Hill first discovered his love of art and his talent for painting. As well as deriving inspiration from the Yorkshire landscape, Hill documented the streets of his hometown as well as the collieries that were the hub of the Yorkshire mining communities. He exhibited in numerous art galleries, including the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley, and he has paintings held in the collections of the National Mining Museum for England and the Doncaster Arts and Museums Society.

A member of active local art societies, Eric Hill also entered numerous competitions organised by the National Coal Board and the British Watercolour Society, in which he won several prizes.

Grimethorpe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Grimethorpe is located to the east of Barnsley, and until the local government reorganisation of 1974, it was part of the Hemsworth district and constituency.

For much of the 20th century Grimethorpe's economy was rooted in coal mining. Since the 1984–85 miners' strike, the downscaling of UK coal mining accelerated and international cheap open-cast mining provoked closure of its colliery in May 1993. In 1994 it was regarded as the poorest village in Europe.