A POP UP exhibition in Dawlish will feature the work of five local artists.

The two day event is the brainchild of Luke Steffens who rediscovered his love of art during the Covid lockdown after a 30 year gap.

The son of well known artist Brian Steffens, Luke explained: ‘We hope this event will lead to more exhibitions showcasing more of the local talent in the area.

‘Most artists in the area don’t have exhibiting opportunities and my hope is we can build a good community based art movement and encourage more people to engage and enjoy their creative side.’

He said: ‘For nearly 30 years I just didn’t create anything.

‘As the son of an artist, I grew up surrounded by art and studied art at Exeter College.

‘But at college I became disillusioned with painting.

‘At the time the art world was celebrating conceptual art and teachers didn’t seem to recognise more traditional styles as noteworthy.

‘Fast forward to lockdown and completely by accident I bought a set of cheap oil paints.

‘I experimented but didn’t initially take to them.

‘I bought some books, watched some tutorials, and kept practicing until it started to click.

‘Slowly but surely, I began to enjoy the medium and now can’t stop.

‘I’m making up for lost time you may say.’

His father Brian will be exhibiting alongside his son showcasing a mix of his early and more recent work.

Keeping it in the family is Luke’s wife Caz, who was awarded the BEM for her charity work who will display her range of hand made and painted craftwork and art.

Joining them is Dave Furler with his unique style of drawings and prints of local and city scenes.

Jackie Russ is a neurodiverse artist, who paints and sketches in a wide range of styles.

The show will also feature Darren Haye’s acrylic paintings with bold colours and varied styles.

The exhibition is on April 8 and 9 at the Strand Centre.