OVER the years some of British modern art’s biggest names have featured on the walls of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

The Bath Road gallery has featured works by Ben Nicholson, Vanessa Bell and Augustus John.

Now, they have been joined by amateur artists from Swindon and Wiltshire.

The gallery is hosting its first ever open exhibition, with around 50 works by local artists.

Sophie Cummings, curator, said: “This is the first time we’ve done an open exhibition. We wanted to try something new and give some of the amazing artists working in Swindon and the surrounding area the opportunity to exhibit at the museum.

“It’s something to be proud of, both for us and for Swindon more widely. We had over 300 entries of a particularly high quality and it was a really hard job to get it down to the 48 works on display.

“We’ve still got pieces by John Sutherland and Augustus John on the walls, so our local artists are in very good company."

Featured in the exhibition is everything from atmospheric photography of west Swindon play equipment to a painting by Old Town man Tim Carrol and a startling sculpture by well-known artist Gordon Dickinson of grimacing animal jaws set in white plastic.

Ms Cummings said: “There really is something for everyone. If you like your beautiful Wiltshire landscapes we have that and if you are looking for something more edgy we have that as well.”

She described young artist Cate Watson as her one-to-watch, calling her striking collage an unsettling work.

Museum archivist Cate won Oink Gallery owner Mark Pepperall’s pick of the exhibition award for her collage of a woman jumping onto the back of US president Donald Trump.

Cate told the Swindon Advertiser she had created the collage in autumn 2016 after tapes of Trump's conversation comments about indecently assaulting women came to light.

Astonishingly, it was the first work Cate has ever submitted for an exhibition. Her distinctive collage style is inspired by what is happening in the news, with images cut from newspapers and magazines. Cate works in a bedroom-turned-art studio at her Royal Wootton Bassett home.

She said of winning the Oink award: “It was truly encouraging. I work on my own and I have had no formal training. It’s tough, you have to keep believing in yourself.”

As well as her collages, Cate has also created a mechanical dragon sculpture capable of twisting and turning. She said: "Art is an expression. It's a way to voice what is going on inside my head."

The exhibition, called Collective, runs until Saturday, January 5. All of the works in the exhibition are for sale.

For more, call 01793 466556 or visit: www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org.uk