A SHAFTESBURY painter’s latest work is set to go on display in London alongside some of the world’s best artists.

Ex-Sunday Times illustrator and environmental painter Gary Cook has created a six-foot-tall atmospheric ink and watercolour painting of the path through Pine Walk in Shaftesbury – a view of which he says he often comes back to.

His latest work, ‘Beneath the beeches’, is one of 500 selected works from 2,500 entries from around the world that will feature at the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) exhibition at The Mall Galleries from March 26 to April 5.

“The beeches of Pine Walk are my muse,” he said. “The magnificent 200-year-old trees are frequently cloaked in the moody mists of the hilltop town.

“I work mainly in monochrome, so for me, visually, grey fog is right up my street!”

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Gary who sits on the council of the RI added: “Sadly, this scene changed recently when one of the giant trees blew down in Storm Eowyn.

“The beech next to it had been pruned back months before. I’m no expert, but it looks like these trees support each other in many ways.

“After its neighbour was trimmed, it’s not too much of a leap to think the fallen tree was more exposed to the stronger storms we’re now experiencing.”

The painter is part of another tree-themed exhibition with the nationally acclaimed arborealists.

The collective of 50 artists is marking their 40th show with an exhibition of work at Sculpture by the Lakes from March 22 to April 19.

Gary will also be in conversation with fellow Arborealist Paul Newman at the Dorset attraction, talking about Thomas Hardy and his influence on their work on March 28.

Gary’s watercolours return closer to home as part of the Wylye Valley Arts Trail from May 3 to 11 at The Old Dairy, Milton on Stour.

He’ll be exhibiting more of his favourite Dorset trees along with paintings and sketchbooks from when he visited Antarctica.

“It’s an incredible place and was a privilege to see,” he said.

“Sketching penguins on the ice was tricky though. I wore two pairs of gloves and took one layer off to draw, but after a couple of minutes I had to stop because it was so cold.”

He added: “Sketching the towering beeches in Shaftesbury is much less arduous.”

Check out Gary’s paintings by visiting his website, www.cookthepainter.com