INTERNATIONAL artist John Christian, who lives in South Tawton is again holding his annual exhibition of watercolours in the village's medieval Church House.

The exhibition entitled 'Beneath the Sky' runs from Saturday, October 25 to Wednesday, October 29.

The exhibition shows some fifty works, including many of John's most recent paintings capturing scenes of Dartmoor, Exmoor, Devon villages, woods and water.

The exhibition runs from 11am-4.30pm each day, admission is free. Each afternoon at 2.15, John will give a short demonstration giving visitors the chance to see how his fast brush strokes achieve such dramatic effects.

Since starting painting professionally 25 years ago, John Christian has become respected as one of the top 'loose' style watercolour artists in the country. His contemporaries include John Fletcher-Watson, Roland Spencer-Ford, John Yardley and David Bellamy among others.

The passion evoked by the richness, the colours and changing moods of Dartmoor is often the inspiration for his work. Since a child, the ability of a painting to excite and arouse emotion is what John has looked for in art.

Not for John, the 'wishy' tones of some watercolours. His vibrant work is a riot of contrasting colours and tones, strong skies and strong emotions, nevertheless with a skillful subtlety. Granite tors standing against wild clouds, sun and shadow dazzling across Devon lanes.

A particular focus for John are the prehistoric standing stones, with which Dartmoor abounds, which appear in his work against sunsets, misty dawns and snow covered hills.

John settled in Devon in 1977. He is a contributor to the magazine Leisure Painter, and passes on some of his artistic techniques at workshops run at home and abroad.