The beauty of a Cumbrian town has been captured by one talented artist – and she is thrilled to see her work shortlisted in a prestigious competition.

Alston artist Helen Johnson re-created the stunning scenery of her town in an oil painting, as part of the Release into the Landscape teaching project for the Alston Landscape Art Town Initiative.

Helen is a trustee of the initiative, which aims to celebrate Alston Moor's strong ties with landscape art and photography.

And after creating such a fabulous piece of work, which incorporates local materials, the piece has now been shortlisted in the prestigious King House 2020 Art Competition, with winners set to be announced in April.

“The competition asked us to focus on people’s responses to 2020,” Helen said.

“My painting was the result of immersing myself in the landscape of Alston and translating the experience, using local materials like moss, peat and elderberries in the painting."

She continued: "This painting was created during lockdown, and the subsequent release back into the landscape.

“I am interested in portraying the entire experience – the elements, the feeling of being back in the environment – the wind and rain as well as the physical landscape.

"I make my work from a combination of first-hand observational drawings and paintings in the open air, back up by photos as aide memoires back in the studio, as well as imagination to produce a final piece using mixed media.”

Helen started the work with a talk last August about landscape painting as part of ALATI’s Release into the Landscape project, in which artists and photographers gave classes to the public wanting to get outdoors after the first Covid lockdown.

It was hoped by all that a Christmas exhibition could be helped, but due to the tightening of Covid rules, this was not possible, but both the exhibition and the classes will be re-scheduled once restrictions ease.