A Goldman Sachs analyst said that fertilizer maker Mosaic Co. is poised for higher profits in 2013 thanks to strong demand from farmers, in spite of the company's disappointing earnings during the most recent quarter.
THE OPINION: Analyst Lindsay Drucker Mann raised her target price on Mosaic's shares to $71 per share from $67. The new target is about 27 percent higher than Mosaic's value Friday morning.
The company has been caught in a pinch between high input costs and relatively weak prices that it can charge for fertilizer. Mann said things will be tough in the short term, but late Thursday she raised her price target on Mosaic's shares because of their long-term potential.
The Plymouth, Minn.-based company is the world's largest producer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. When farmers are willing to pay more money for fertilizer, Mosaic can turn a decent profit even if it has to pay more for its raw ingredients. But if farmers cut back, Mosaic's profit margins suffer because its costs remain high.
The company reported its fiscal third-quarter earnings Wednesday, and the results were below expectations. Mosaic said that its fiscal third-quarter net income fell nearly 50 percent from the year before, thanks to lower potash volumes and higher phosphate costs.
Analysts had expected net income of 74 cents per share on revenue of $2.12 billion, according to FactSet.
Mann acknowledged that the quarterly results were disappointing, and she cut her profit outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter. But she said things should start to improve by the second half of this year.
Corn prices should stay above $6 a bushel, Mann said, which will persuade farmers to invest in more fertilizer. At the same time, Mosaic's raw ingredient costs should start falling thanks to more mining production. Fertilizer prices could climb as China cuts back its exports, she said.
As a result, Mann raised her profit outlook for Mosaic's 2013 fiscal year to $5.30 per share from $4.85 per share. She raised her 2014 profit forecast to $6.63 per share from $6.14 per share.
Analysts, on average, are forecasting net income of $5.12 per share in 2013 and $5.46 per share in 2014, according to FactSet.
But the short term doesn't look so bright. Mann cut her fourth-quarter estimate to 52 cents per share from $1 per share.
THE STOCK: Mosaic shares gained 30 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $55.57 in morning trading Friday. The stock has been climbing this year along with other fertilizer makers, and is up about 6 percent since early January.
But the stock is still well below the peaks it hit in 2008, when historically high crop prices supported demand for fertilizer. The stock traded above $153 a share in the summer of 2008.
2012年3月31日星期六
2012年3月26日星期一
Confrontation Hands-On Preview
Engaging tactical RPGs are a dime a dozen this generation. Especially
so when it comes to ones set in a fantasy realm rich in lore. Now lore
is something of an attraction for me, and Confrontation looks quite
promising. Developed by Cyanide Studio and based on the miniature
role-playing board game of the same name from the now defunct Rackham
Entertainment, Confrontation seems to be a pretty nice blend of active
time action and deep tactical role-playing mechanics, complete with a
rich and fantastic lore to back the setting up.
Confrontation is set in the fantasy universe of Aarklash. Consumed by Rag'norok, the realm is split into four factions: the Griffin, Scorpion, Wolf and the Jackal, with the Griffin and Scorpion waging war against each other for decades since Rag'norok's prologue. Players take on the role of a group of elite warriors from among the Griffin, who are sent behind enemy lines to put a stop to the Scorpion's evil plans.
Taking control of my newfound party, it was a relatively simple affair navigating the labyrinthian battlefields. Controls are similar to most games that fall under the same genre. You can click on a character to select him or her, or drag your mouse over your party to select all, or certain units. Right-clicking will send them to the desired location or target.
Enemy units populate each map and encounters are an interesting mix of real-time and good old pause-and-play action. Fogs of war will shroud the map in darkness, only revealing the surrounding area around your party, making exploration a tricky affair. That said, exploration is rewarded. When you encounter an enemy party, pre-empting them is a generally sound strategy. However, get too close and they'll quickly pre-empt you.
The pause-and-play combat system allows queuing of attacks, spells and whatnot. It's as simple as holding down spacebar. Doing so brings up a command menu where you can quickly select your unit and queue up your commands. Each party member has their own unique class spells and stringing them together is a pretty exciting affair. It's also worth noting that timing these combos can make all the difference in a desperate battle for survival. It's satisfying to say the least to witness a pre-emptive stun from Zelia, while a simultaneous buff from Darius boosts your party's survivability, followed by attack buffs and long ranged focus attacks from Lothaire and Lanwys.
Paying attention to what's going on with the enemy party is just as important as planning and timing your own attacks. Enemy units that are about to attack are surrounded by colour-coded auras. Red auras signify high damage spells, while green auras spell annoying healing moves. Take note of these and you can easily negate the enemy's next move. Anticipation and counter-attacking the enemy's moves are part-and-parcel of Confrontation's tactical edge. That said, it means that you're in for a very slow-paced experience. It's like chess. You know, with spells and blood.
The battle system also comes with a relatively simple, if a little uninspired, character progression system where you can invest points to upgrade attributes, skills, equipment and armour. Uninspired may sound disappointing, but what's there works well and makes sense. The flexibility and customization was a nice surprise too. Characters are equipped with two weapon sets and can switch between them on-the-fly. So not only are you able to upgrade character attributes and skills, but weapon and armour proficiency as well.
I mentioned earlier that exploration is rewarded. You will be able to upgrade to higher tiered weapons and armour passives by scavenging the battlefield for shiny magic glyphs. These passive abilities come in quite handy and benefits your characters with party-wide buffs, be they armour, accuracy, magic, or attack buffs. Unlike most role-playing systems that accommodate freedom over choice, Confrontation's ability trees are just that, trees that branch into two paths where choosing one passive within a level tier will forfeit the other. It may put off the more contemporary role-playing fans, but it's nice to see Cyanide stick to their guns.
Confrontation is set in the fantasy universe of Aarklash. Consumed by Rag'norok, the realm is split into four factions: the Griffin, Scorpion, Wolf and the Jackal, with the Griffin and Scorpion waging war against each other for decades since Rag'norok's prologue. Players take on the role of a group of elite warriors from among the Griffin, who are sent behind enemy lines to put a stop to the Scorpion's evil plans.
Taking control of my newfound party, it was a relatively simple affair navigating the labyrinthian battlefields. Controls are similar to most games that fall under the same genre. You can click on a character to select him or her, or drag your mouse over your party to select all, or certain units. Right-clicking will send them to the desired location or target.
Enemy units populate each map and encounters are an interesting mix of real-time and good old pause-and-play action. Fogs of war will shroud the map in darkness, only revealing the surrounding area around your party, making exploration a tricky affair. That said, exploration is rewarded. When you encounter an enemy party, pre-empting them is a generally sound strategy. However, get too close and they'll quickly pre-empt you.
The pause-and-play combat system allows queuing of attacks, spells and whatnot. It's as simple as holding down spacebar. Doing so brings up a command menu where you can quickly select your unit and queue up your commands. Each party member has their own unique class spells and stringing them together is a pretty exciting affair. It's also worth noting that timing these combos can make all the difference in a desperate battle for survival. It's satisfying to say the least to witness a pre-emptive stun from Zelia, while a simultaneous buff from Darius boosts your party's survivability, followed by attack buffs and long ranged focus attacks from Lothaire and Lanwys.
Paying attention to what's going on with the enemy party is just as important as planning and timing your own attacks. Enemy units that are about to attack are surrounded by colour-coded auras. Red auras signify high damage spells, while green auras spell annoying healing moves. Take note of these and you can easily negate the enemy's next move. Anticipation and counter-attacking the enemy's moves are part-and-parcel of Confrontation's tactical edge. That said, it means that you're in for a very slow-paced experience. It's like chess. You know, with spells and blood.
The battle system also comes with a relatively simple, if a little uninspired, character progression system where you can invest points to upgrade attributes, skills, equipment and armour. Uninspired may sound disappointing, but what's there works well and makes sense. The flexibility and customization was a nice surprise too. Characters are equipped with two weapon sets and can switch between them on-the-fly. So not only are you able to upgrade character attributes and skills, but weapon and armour proficiency as well.
I mentioned earlier that exploration is rewarded. You will be able to upgrade to higher tiered weapons and armour passives by scavenging the battlefield for shiny magic glyphs. These passive abilities come in quite handy and benefits your characters with party-wide buffs, be they armour, accuracy, magic, or attack buffs. Unlike most role-playing systems that accommodate freedom over choice, Confrontation's ability trees are just that, trees that branch into two paths where choosing one passive within a level tier will forfeit the other. It may put off the more contemporary role-playing fans, but it's nice to see Cyanide stick to their guns.
Mosaic mural threatened by school renovation
With much fanfare, a colorful glass mosaic mural designed by
acclaimed artist Jose Antonio Aguirre, funded by $25,000 in donations,
and worked on by hundreds of students, was unveiled at McKinley School
in 2006.
Now the survival of the 111-foot-long, 4 1/2-foot-tall mural on a retaining wall in the playground is being threatened. A Measure TT-funded school renovation, scheduled to start later this year, includes removing the wall and flattening the two-level play area.
"I feel very disappointed, it was very surprising to me," said Aguirre, an internationally recognized artist whose daughter attends McKinley. "The material used was supposed to make it permanent. Why is this happening to the mural done by children? There's a lack of respect for children's art."
The fate of the "Wey yano'one"' mural (Mayan for "Here We Are") could be decided by the Pasadena Unified School District board in the next two weeks, and board member Ed Honowitz said he hopes it can be relocated.
"Demolition is one option we're trying to avoid," said Honowitz, whose daughter was one of the McKinley students who worked on the mural.
"We're looking at trying to determine if we can actually relocate it to an alternate site on campus," he said. "We recognize with the modernization going on we have to remove the retaining wall it's sitting on and we have to determine how to do it and how much it would cost."
Money is a big part of it, he said,along with the logistics of moving a large artwork made up of 65,000 tiny Venetian glass tiles.
"Measure TT funds are very tight," he said, adding that there's the possibility of raising private funds to relocate the mural. "We're looking at options for what would work, what's realistic - anything can be done for a price."
The colorful mural, depicting two snakes in a geometric design reflecting Southwestern, Mexican, Native American and Asian influences, was designed as a permanent symbol to "capture the spirit" of the McKinley community, according to the opening-day celebration literature.
"It is with great hope that this mural will serve as an inspiring symbol of the many rich dreams, gifts and experiences each McKinley student brings, that together create vibrant, lasting beauty," the flyer said.
Aguirre - some of whose public art pieces can be seen at Metro Gold Line Highland Avenue Station and the East Los Angeles Public Library - said he welcomed school improvements, but was puzzled that the playground renovation was designed without regard to the mural.
"Somehow they never took it into consideration, I don't know what they thought about it, or who's in charge," he said. "But it's very obvious there's a mural in the middle of the playground, so why go ahead and do all these plans, deciding from the beginning that the mural's going to be moved? I think it's down to the issue it's not important, it's a `kiddy' mural."
Aguirre said he learned about threats to the artwork after returning from Mexico, where he was on a Fulbright-Garc a Robles 2010- 2011 award, implementing a Public Art project at Universidad Aut noma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco in Mexico City.
Since then, he has met with the school board and enlisted the help of other McKinley parents, including Phil Gold.
"It has to be saved," Gold said of the mural. "It was installed in a huge community ceremony, with 750-plus kids, only six years ago ... somewhere in the redesign there has to be a place for art."
Ironically, Gold said, the McKinley campus has a historic 16-by-40-foot Works Progress Administration Arts Project mural painted by renowned artist Frank Tolles Chamberlin, completed in 1942, and also a community project that students worked on.
Now the survival of the 111-foot-long, 4 1/2-foot-tall mural on a retaining wall in the playground is being threatened. A Measure TT-funded school renovation, scheduled to start later this year, includes removing the wall and flattening the two-level play area.
"I feel very disappointed, it was very surprising to me," said Aguirre, an internationally recognized artist whose daughter attends McKinley. "The material used was supposed to make it permanent. Why is this happening to the mural done by children? There's a lack of respect for children's art."
The fate of the "Wey yano'one"' mural (Mayan for "Here We Are") could be decided by the Pasadena Unified School District board in the next two weeks, and board member Ed Honowitz said he hopes it can be relocated.
"Demolition is one option we're trying to avoid," said Honowitz, whose daughter was one of the McKinley students who worked on the mural.
"We're looking at trying to determine if we can actually relocate it to an alternate site on campus," he said. "We recognize with the modernization going on we have to remove the retaining wall it's sitting on and we have to determine how to do it and how much it would cost."
Money is a big part of it, he said,along with the logistics of moving a large artwork made up of 65,000 tiny Venetian glass tiles.
"Measure TT funds are very tight," he said, adding that there's the possibility of raising private funds to relocate the mural. "We're looking at options for what would work, what's realistic - anything can be done for a price."
The colorful mural, depicting two snakes in a geometric design reflecting Southwestern, Mexican, Native American and Asian influences, was designed as a permanent symbol to "capture the spirit" of the McKinley community, according to the opening-day celebration literature.
"It is with great hope that this mural will serve as an inspiring symbol of the many rich dreams, gifts and experiences each McKinley student brings, that together create vibrant, lasting beauty," the flyer said.
Aguirre - some of whose public art pieces can be seen at Metro Gold Line Highland Avenue Station and the East Los Angeles Public Library - said he welcomed school improvements, but was puzzled that the playground renovation was designed without regard to the mural.
"Somehow they never took it into consideration, I don't know what they thought about it, or who's in charge," he said. "But it's very obvious there's a mural in the middle of the playground, so why go ahead and do all these plans, deciding from the beginning that the mural's going to be moved? I think it's down to the issue it's not important, it's a `kiddy' mural."
Aguirre said he learned about threats to the artwork after returning from Mexico, where he was on a Fulbright-Garc a Robles 2010- 2011 award, implementing a Public Art project at Universidad Aut noma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco in Mexico City.
Since then, he has met with the school board and enlisted the help of other McKinley parents, including Phil Gold.
"It has to be saved," Gold said of the mural. "It was installed in a huge community ceremony, with 750-plus kids, only six years ago ... somewhere in the redesign there has to be a place for art."
Ironically, Gold said, the McKinley campus has a historic 16-by-40-foot Works Progress Administration Arts Project mural painted by renowned artist Frank Tolles Chamberlin, completed in 1942, and also a community project that students worked on.
2012年3月20日星期二
For a Basketball Star, Fitness Calls for Pilates
Yoga, Pilates, pedicures. They don't sound like the workout routine of a pro-basketball player. But Dwyane Wade, the superstar shooting guard with the Miami Heat, has embraced them.
During last year's lockout, players couldn't get access to NBA team facilities or trainers. "The lockout meant I was working out with a different trainer," says Mr. Wade, "and he introduced me to different types of workouts that I didn't even know my body needed, like yoga."
Mr. Wade, who turned 30 in January, could be considered old by NBA standards. He says a large part of his preseason training was focused on keeping his body healthy and injury-free through the season. Nevertheless, he has struggled with injuries, including a strained calf and sprained right ankle.
In addition to his time on the court and in the gym, Mr. Wade, who stands 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 220 pounds, puts in time on the massage table. "I'm huge on massage work," he says. "I've done more stretching this season than ever before. My therapist's hands get tired from working on me."
Since his size-15 feet take a lot of pounding, he also incorporates foot baths, ice baths and regular pedicures into his regimen. "You need to take care of your feet," says Mr. Wade. "My feet aren't going to look any prettier from a pedi, but they feel better from the massaging."
"I have tight hips and I felt I needed to loosen up and be more flexible as I got older," says Mr. Wade. He started taking private yoga lessons. "Just basic yoga—I wasn't ready for the hot stuff," he says. "Yoga is a totally different way of stretching and really challenging." Mr. Wade says he persuaded his teammate, LeBron James, to join him. "He's stiffer than me," he jokes.
Mr. James, in turn, persuaded Mr. Wade to try machine-based Pilates, which lengthens muscles and strengthens the core muscles. "I really felt the Pilates loosen up my muscles," says Mr. Wade. The attention to stretching has paid off during the season. "I recall making a move, and the basketball ended up on my foot and I almost did a split on the ball. Normally, that's a groin pull, but I bounced back."
Mr. Wade also started running on the beach this summer. "Running on the sand strengthens your quads and calf muscles," he says. He adds that he used to avoid running because it gave him shin splints, but running barefoot in the sand has helped him avoid that. He does some runs for distance, others for speed. "I try to do a lot of quick sprints where I'm starting and stopping and training myself to push through fatigue," he says.
Mr. Wade has also worked on his fast-twitch muscles, which come into play for brief bursts of strength or speed. To do this, his trainer had him work out with elastic bands on his wrists and ankles. He throws a medicine ball, turns, and then catches the ball with his torso facing one way and his arms turning another. "In a game, you never know what is going to come at you. I have to be ready to react quickly."
Mr. Wade says he always avoided vegetables until he turned 30. "I hated all of them," he says. But "I knew it would help me in the long run both mentally and physically" to start eating them. His solution was to have his personal chef turn them into juice.
He now starts the day with a juice that might include celery, carrots and beets. His chef sticks to healthy, low-fat, high-protein meals that often include grilled chicken and rice. He doesn't splurge often, but when he does he has a burger, fries and a Coke. "That is heaven to me. I have a favorite burger spot in nearly every city. Sometimes I might even order two."
During last year's lockout, players couldn't get access to NBA team facilities or trainers. "The lockout meant I was working out with a different trainer," says Mr. Wade, "and he introduced me to different types of workouts that I didn't even know my body needed, like yoga."
Mr. Wade, who turned 30 in January, could be considered old by NBA standards. He says a large part of his preseason training was focused on keeping his body healthy and injury-free through the season. Nevertheless, he has struggled with injuries, including a strained calf and sprained right ankle.
In addition to his time on the court and in the gym, Mr. Wade, who stands 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 220 pounds, puts in time on the massage table. "I'm huge on massage work," he says. "I've done more stretching this season than ever before. My therapist's hands get tired from working on me."
Since his size-15 feet take a lot of pounding, he also incorporates foot baths, ice baths and regular pedicures into his regimen. "You need to take care of your feet," says Mr. Wade. "My feet aren't going to look any prettier from a pedi, but they feel better from the massaging."
"I have tight hips and I felt I needed to loosen up and be more flexible as I got older," says Mr. Wade. He started taking private yoga lessons. "Just basic yoga—I wasn't ready for the hot stuff," he says. "Yoga is a totally different way of stretching and really challenging." Mr. Wade says he persuaded his teammate, LeBron James, to join him. "He's stiffer than me," he jokes.
Mr. James, in turn, persuaded Mr. Wade to try machine-based Pilates, which lengthens muscles and strengthens the core muscles. "I really felt the Pilates loosen up my muscles," says Mr. Wade. The attention to stretching has paid off during the season. "I recall making a move, and the basketball ended up on my foot and I almost did a split on the ball. Normally, that's a groin pull, but I bounced back."
Mr. Wade also started running on the beach this summer. "Running on the sand strengthens your quads and calf muscles," he says. He adds that he used to avoid running because it gave him shin splints, but running barefoot in the sand has helped him avoid that. He does some runs for distance, others for speed. "I try to do a lot of quick sprints where I'm starting and stopping and training myself to push through fatigue," he says.
Mr. Wade has also worked on his fast-twitch muscles, which come into play for brief bursts of strength or speed. To do this, his trainer had him work out with elastic bands on his wrists and ankles. He throws a medicine ball, turns, and then catches the ball with his torso facing one way and his arms turning another. "In a game, you never know what is going to come at you. I have to be ready to react quickly."
Mr. Wade says he always avoided vegetables until he turned 30. "I hated all of them," he says. But "I knew it would help me in the long run both mentally and physically" to start eating them. His solution was to have his personal chef turn them into juice.
He now starts the day with a juice that might include celery, carrots and beets. His chef sticks to healthy, low-fat, high-protein meals that often include grilled chicken and rice. He doesn't splurge often, but when he does he has a burger, fries and a Coke. "That is heaven to me. I have a favorite burger spot in nearly every city. Sometimes I might even order two."
Reputation grows for artist Tom McGuinness
LEAFING through a catalogue of the forthcoming sale at Tennants Auctioneers, readers can’t fail to be struck by the oil paintings by artist Tom McGuinness.
Pit scenes and mining town landscape are depicted in vivid colour. There’s an intensity and emotion that makes them at once beautiful and, in the case of one depicting a miner working on his side underground, claustrophobic.
To this very untutored eye there seems a hint of Van Gogh in the way the paint has been used. There are a number of his etchings and paintings up for auction with sale estimates ranging from just 200 to 4,000.
“That’s cheap,” commented Gillian Wales, who knows a thing or two about Tom having written two books about him with Dr Robert McManners. “They usually go for much more than that. Well worth an investment.”
Gillian first came across Tom in the early 1970s at the library where she worked in Woodhouse Close, Bishop Auckland.
“He was a very quiet, unassuming man and I noticed he was taking out books on artists and screen printing,” she said.
“Then one day he came in with this little rolled up poster and said could I put it on the notice board. It was for an exhibition he had on at the Wibley Gallery in London – actually one of two exhibitions of his work in London at the time. He even had an agent.
“One of the exhibitions sold out almost immediately. In the 1970s there was a lot of interest in pitmen’s paintings.”
At one stage, according to Gillian, his agent tried to get him to change his style and subject matter.
“For a little while he tried to, he did some beach scenes. But it just wasn’t for Tom and he went back to his original style.”
Tom was born in 1926 – the year of the General Strike – into a once thriving community which had fallen into rapid decline. He lived with his grandparents Peter, a coal miner, and Elizabeth in a two-up two-down in Witton Park, County Durham, attending St Chad's Roman Catholic Elementary School.
From an early age, the young Tom was a keen and talented artist. His first commission was given to him by one of his teachers who asked him to draw a race horse.
He had a series of jobs when he left school but was conscripted into Fishburn Colliery as a Bevin Boy in 1944.
Tom began attending Darlington School of Art and classes at the Spennymoor Settlement, where miners had the chance to broaden their horizons, and where Tom branched out into oil work.
Throughout the 1950s, he was living with his sister and pursuing his hobby. His first exhibition was at the offices of the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation in London in 1958. His images became instantly recognisable with their stooped heads and bowed legs like bent pit props. Often bathed in ethereal light, his work reflected the arduous lives of the pit men along with the danger and camaraderie at the coal face, in the cage and returning from their shifts. Although the scenes contained humour, he was far from laughing at his colleagues.
“It’s not just what you can see, I hope it’s what you can feel as well,” he said once.
Tom was always keen to experiment with different styles and working methods. From his early days in oil he progressed to using a thin glaze to give his work an ethereal sheen. In the 1970s he learned about etchings and print-making, all the time drawing on his vast knowledge of artists around the world.
Along with Spennymoor artist Norman Cornish, he became the foremost chronicler of the North East’s passing heritage.
Never believing he could make a living out of painting, he stayed underground until, at the age of 57, he took redundancy from East Hetton Colliery after 40 years of pit life.
His wife Cathy was a source of constant support and inspiration to him and he left the pit in 1983 shortly after she died.
There was also a religious aspect to much of his work – Miner and Sick Child brought comparisons with Madonna and Child. He was incredibly proud to take the commission for the stained- glass windows at St Mary’s Church in Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland, the McGuinness couple’s local church. There, he introduced contemporary images into biblical scenes.
After his retirement he continued to work every day. His house was always spotless, entirely at odds with the stereotypical view of an artist. After Cathy died, he would paint at the kitchen table and on an easel in the same room. He also spent time passing on his skills to others, such as his grandchildren and schoolchildren.
He died in 2006 aged 79. His death came just two months before a major retrospective of his work at Bishop Auckland Town Hall in honour of his 80th birthday in April.
Just before his death he was believed to have been painting. His son Shaun arrived at his house in Bishop Auckland to find his paint box open, and a painting he had just begun propped against his easel.
His work of course lives on and, according to Gillian Wales, his reputation continues to grow. For some this could mean they unwittingly have a healthy nest egg in their homes.
“He used to sell his etchings at a very cheap price to local people,” she said. “A couple visiting Bishop Auckland Town Hall just a fortnight ago told staff they had some of his etchings which they had bought in the 1970s that still hung on their wall.
“People bought them because they liked them and out of nostalgia. They are now very collectible and people buy them as an investment.”
Six of Tom’s works are for sale at Tennant’s Auctioneers in North Yorkshire on March 23. Their picture specialist Allan Darwell said: “They are honest pictures because it is realism in the raw.”
Pit scenes and mining town landscape are depicted in vivid colour. There’s an intensity and emotion that makes them at once beautiful and, in the case of one depicting a miner working on his side underground, claustrophobic.
To this very untutored eye there seems a hint of Van Gogh in the way the paint has been used. There are a number of his etchings and paintings up for auction with sale estimates ranging from just 200 to 4,000.
“That’s cheap,” commented Gillian Wales, who knows a thing or two about Tom having written two books about him with Dr Robert McManners. “They usually go for much more than that. Well worth an investment.”
Gillian first came across Tom in the early 1970s at the library where she worked in Woodhouse Close, Bishop Auckland.
“He was a very quiet, unassuming man and I noticed he was taking out books on artists and screen printing,” she said.
“Then one day he came in with this little rolled up poster and said could I put it on the notice board. It was for an exhibition he had on at the Wibley Gallery in London – actually one of two exhibitions of his work in London at the time. He even had an agent.
“One of the exhibitions sold out almost immediately. In the 1970s there was a lot of interest in pitmen’s paintings.”
At one stage, according to Gillian, his agent tried to get him to change his style and subject matter.
“For a little while he tried to, he did some beach scenes. But it just wasn’t for Tom and he went back to his original style.”
Tom was born in 1926 – the year of the General Strike – into a once thriving community which had fallen into rapid decline. He lived with his grandparents Peter, a coal miner, and Elizabeth in a two-up two-down in Witton Park, County Durham, attending St Chad's Roman Catholic Elementary School.
From an early age, the young Tom was a keen and talented artist. His first commission was given to him by one of his teachers who asked him to draw a race horse.
He had a series of jobs when he left school but was conscripted into Fishburn Colliery as a Bevin Boy in 1944.
Tom began attending Darlington School of Art and classes at the Spennymoor Settlement, where miners had the chance to broaden their horizons, and where Tom branched out into oil work.
Throughout the 1950s, he was living with his sister and pursuing his hobby. His first exhibition was at the offices of the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation in London in 1958. His images became instantly recognisable with their stooped heads and bowed legs like bent pit props. Often bathed in ethereal light, his work reflected the arduous lives of the pit men along with the danger and camaraderie at the coal face, in the cage and returning from their shifts. Although the scenes contained humour, he was far from laughing at his colleagues.
“It’s not just what you can see, I hope it’s what you can feel as well,” he said once.
Tom was always keen to experiment with different styles and working methods. From his early days in oil he progressed to using a thin glaze to give his work an ethereal sheen. In the 1970s he learned about etchings and print-making, all the time drawing on his vast knowledge of artists around the world.
Along with Spennymoor artist Norman Cornish, he became the foremost chronicler of the North East’s passing heritage.
Never believing he could make a living out of painting, he stayed underground until, at the age of 57, he took redundancy from East Hetton Colliery after 40 years of pit life.
His wife Cathy was a source of constant support and inspiration to him and he left the pit in 1983 shortly after she died.
There was also a religious aspect to much of his work – Miner and Sick Child brought comparisons with Madonna and Child. He was incredibly proud to take the commission for the stained- glass windows at St Mary’s Church in Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland, the McGuinness couple’s local church. There, he introduced contemporary images into biblical scenes.
After his retirement he continued to work every day. His house was always spotless, entirely at odds with the stereotypical view of an artist. After Cathy died, he would paint at the kitchen table and on an easel in the same room. He also spent time passing on his skills to others, such as his grandchildren and schoolchildren.
He died in 2006 aged 79. His death came just two months before a major retrospective of his work at Bishop Auckland Town Hall in honour of his 80th birthday in April.
Just before his death he was believed to have been painting. His son Shaun arrived at his house in Bishop Auckland to find his paint box open, and a painting he had just begun propped against his easel.
His work of course lives on and, according to Gillian Wales, his reputation continues to grow. For some this could mean they unwittingly have a healthy nest egg in their homes.
“He used to sell his etchings at a very cheap price to local people,” she said. “A couple visiting Bishop Auckland Town Hall just a fortnight ago told staff they had some of his etchings which they had bought in the 1970s that still hung on their wall.
“People bought them because they liked them and out of nostalgia. They are now very collectible and people buy them as an investment.”
Six of Tom’s works are for sale at Tennant’s Auctioneers in North Yorkshire on March 23. Their picture specialist Allan Darwell said: “They are honest pictures because it is realism in the raw.”
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