Factory Workers Homebound in the Rain

George Errol Fleming 1941 - is a Northern Irish born artist and lecturer, who is known for his social pictures of the Belfast region including an ability to draw in the manner of William Coldstream, without direct imitation. His early career was spent in the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy later he attended Ulster University where he eventually became a tutor. This picture is unsigned. Below is a brief biography of the artist which I have listed for your information. The picture is in very good original condition and we are cataloguing the picture as unsigned . George Errol Fleming (born 1941) is a Northern Irish painter and lecturer whose work is deeply rooted in the social and historical landscape of Belfast. He is particularly noted for his figurative style, often executing charcoal drawings in the manner of William Conor, capturing the spirit and daily life of the working class with similar warmth and grit. Before pursuing a formal career in the arts, Fleming spent several years at sea, serving in both the Royal Navy and the British Merchant Navy. These maritime experiences frequently surfaced in his later artwork, such as in his piece Sailors and Tin Fishes, which is held in the collection of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. Fleming transitioned to academia in the late 1980s: University of Ulster: He studied here from 1987 to 1991, graduating with a degree in fine art. He completed a postgraduate diploma in applied arts in 1992. He became a respected lecturer, teaching at his alma mater and leading workshops at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the Harmony Hill Arts Centre. Fleming's work is characterised by its focus on "public concerns and social issues," often using art as a medium for dialogue. Much like Conor, Fleming’s charcoal works emphasize the humanity and movement of his subjects, particularly the ordinary people of Ulster. He was instrumental in campaigning for the recognition of James Magennis, the only Northern Irishman to be awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII, which led to the memorial sculpture in front of Belfast City Hall. His solo exhibition Echoes (1993–1994) toured Northern Ireland, exploring themes of memory and the "Long Walk Home". He also produced the All God’s Children series, which explored different world faiths through figurative oil paintings. Fleming was a long-time associate of Queen Street Studios in Belfast. His work has been featured in several significant group and solo shows: Arts Council Gallery, Belfast (1988). Beyond the Partitions (1994), organised by Queen Street Studios. His paintings are held by the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. There is a similar but alternative biography below which displays the difference in technique between William Conor and George Fleming. William Conor’s artistic technique, which profoundly influenced George Errol Fleming, was defined by a spontaneous, "unmediated" approach to capturing the working-class life of Belfast. Conor was famously known as "The People's Painter," a title Fleming continued through his own focused studies of social issues. George Errol Fleming adopted several specific methods pioneered by Conor: Conor developed a highly personal technique using crayons and wax on textured surfaces to achieve a rugged, uneven finish. This gave his charcoal and chalk drawings a distinct "impromptu" feel, suggesting a scene caught in a fleeting moment. To capture authentic, unposed moments, Conor would hide loose sketchbook pages inside a newspaper. He would pretend to read while secretly sketching people in the street. Fleming mirrored this dedication to capturing "public concerns" and the raw reality of the streets. His work rarely depicted stillness. Instead, he focused on lively movement, smiling faces, and social interaction, such as mill girls strolling or children in cinema queues. Fleming’s charcoal drawings similarly emphasise this human vitality and social dialogue. Both artists used charcoal to create dramatic light and shade, giving their working-class subjects a sense of "heroic status" and gravitas. While Conor recorded the Belfast of the early-to-mid 20th century, Fleming used these same "Conor-esque" techniques—heavy charcoal lines and textured shading—to bridge the gap to the modern era. Fleming’s series, such as Echoes, used these techniques to explore memory and the "Long Walk Home," keeping the spirit of Conor’s figurative tradition alive in a contemporary academic context.