Andy Smith, an artist based in Wimborne Minster has been painting seriously for just over four years, before that, he says, he was finding his way. He tried out a great variety of artistic paths before he was seized by a love of bright lights between dark trees, zinging with vibrant colour.

His chosen style of painting tried to capture both tonal contrasts and vivid colours and uses the brightness of acrylic paint. He is looking for the starkness of sunlight between the bright leaves and the tracery of branch silhouettes, for pools of golden sun amongst dark shadows and for the bright glow of backlit flower petals against dark backgrounds.

This year, for his third exhibition at Walford Mill, he has branched out (pun) and been experimenting with oils. Seeking out scenes that capture light with his camera phone before beginning to paint. Using bright acrylics upon square boards of 6mm MDF and vivid oils on canvas boards, he is setting out to prove that his style has evolved and that he is Not out of the woods yet!

Location: Main Gallery

Free entry

Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm 

Sundays 11am-4pm

Image credit: Rose Hatcher