Forgotten paintings by a hospice patient take centre stage at Bishop Auckland's Artists' Hub
- gracebell7
- 47 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Dick Scott, an inpatient at St Oswald’s Hospice in Gosforth, has had a long-held wish fulfilled: thirteen watercolour paintings he created over a decade ago, forgotten until recently, are now set to be publicly exhibited for the first time at Bishop Auckland’s new Artists’ Hub.
The paintings were inspired by Francisco de Zurbarán’s 17th-century portrait masterpieces, Jacob and his Twelve Sons, which were saved in 2012 by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer.
Dick first tried painting in 2000 during his recovery from a liver transplant. In 2012, after reading about the artworks being saved and the creation of what is now The Auckland Project, he was inspired to emulate Zurbarán’s series.
In 2012, when the Church Commissioners for England planned to sell the paintings, a community campaign raised awareness of their possible loss. Jonathan and Jane Ruffer then saved the collection, placing the paintings and Auckland Palace in a charitable trust for the benefit of the people of North East England and to help regenerate Bishop Auckland through art, culture, and heritage.
Dick, now receiving palliative care at St Oswald’s Hospice, kept his watercolours tucked away in his Longbenton bungalow until their discovery by chance during a conversation between social worker Marisa Woodward and his sister Sue Coxon.
After discovering the paintings, Marisa contacted The Auckland Project for advice on how to display them. She was surprised to promptly hear from Chief Operating Officer Richard Hinch.
"Richard told us he loved the paintings and wanted them for the first exhibition in the new Artists’ Hub in Bishop Auckland town centre. He also invited Dick to officially open the Hub at a VIP event. When I told Dick, he was overwhelmed with emotion—he never thought anyone would see them," Sue explained.
Dick, from Longbenton, and a former Furnace Refractor, said: “I’m not a religious man, but there was something about those paintings that really moved me.
“All I’ve ever wanted is for people to see my paintings. For them to make their debut in such a prestigious setting is beyond my imagination, and I am grateful to St Oswald’s Hospice and The Auckland Project for making this happen.”
Dick’s plan is to ultimately donate his 13 paintings to the Hospice, and his next project is to create a mural celebrating care at St Oswald’s Hospice.
Richard Hinch said, “These are remarkable paintings, and this is an extraordinary story. If it hadn’t been for a chance conversation, they may never have seen the light of day, which would have been a travesty.”
Dick has been invited to open the Hub’s first exhibition on Wednesday 10 December 2025. Afterward, he will get a VIP tour of Auckland Palace—once home to the Prince Bishops of Durham—to see the original paintings for the first time.
The Artists’ Hub is a new community space for mentoring, training, and exhibiting the work of emerging artists, building local skills and creative careers. It will offer a variety of courses, including ceramics, photography, and textiles, in partnership with Bishop Auckland College.
The Family Support Services, including bereavement and social work teams, like all care at St Oswald’s Hospice, are completely free to access. However, this department alone costs £300,000 each year to run and is fully dependent on charitable donations, receiving no statutory funding at all. St Oswald’s Hospice 2025 Giving Day and Christmas Fundraising Appeal aim to harness the kindness and generosity of the public to help maintain these vital services for people like Dick.
For more information, visit www.stoswaldsuk.org or call 0191 285 0063.
