Cumbrian painter David Hollins has achieved international recognition after painting a series of pictures of Workington landmarks.

The works were for an exhibition in the cafe of the Carnegie Theatre but were so striking and popular that the town council has now made prints of David’s depiction of Navvies Bridge to send to twin towns in France and Germany.

David, who lives in Carlisle, was asked to produce a series of paintings as part of the refurbishment of the theatre.

He explained: “The commission came from Ben Heslop at Edwin Talbot Gallery in Carlisle for a series of works to be permanently installed on public display on the walls of the Carnegie theatre cafe, so quite a coup.

“After chatting with Lee Martin-White, chair of trustees at the theatre, and other trustees, it was decided to make a series of paintings, rather than produce just one.

“With some towns, you can paint one view or scene to sum it up, but we thought it would be better to depict different parts of the town to create a story.

“It was a dream job and I loved every minute of the commission, from going out into the town to work on the paintings to chatting to passing locals and receiving great feedback. What lovely people in Workington! I had offers of chairs to rest on, cups of tea, and the chance of selfies taken with chatty retired ladies.

“The manager of the Central Washington Hotel even allowed me to climb up inside the lofty clock tower to paint the views across the Old Town’s rooftops.

“Since the original commission, the large scale centrepiece painting of Navvies Bridge has been reproduced as signed prints to present as gifts to twin towns abroad.

“I’m absolutely delighted that my work has now got an international presence.!”

A spokesman for the town council said: “The pictures are an outstanding example of how Workington can be portrayed.

“They are all excellent, but the Navvies Bridge painting was the stand out picture.”

The prints were handed over to representatives of the twin towns of Selm, in Germany, and Val-de-Reuil, in France, at a ceremony.