TWO up-coming exhibitions at the Town Mill galleries in Lyme Regis will be offering a virtual kaleidoscope of visual treats to brighten up a wintery day with colourful artwork and a celebration of the versatility of fabric and fibre.

Peter Coates leads off with a one-man show called Paintings, Prints & Patterns that is currently running at the Courtyard Gallery until October 24. Peter’s work in oils and acrylics includes original paintings, often of local scenes, alongside quirky and humorous prints and his latest venture into abstraction, which he calls ‘pattern paintings’. With their practical application to fabric and interior design, these paintings provide a natural link to the second exhibition.

Losing the Thread celebrates an impressive 25-year collaboration between nine textile and fabric artists based in southern England. Penny Burnfield, Margaret Charlton, Helen Colling, Mair Edwards, Sarah Foulkes, Alison Hird, Lilian Harris, Pat Mummery, and Jennie Pearson meet regularly to discuss their work and are making their third return to the Malthouse Gallery in this joint exhibition which begins today (12) and continues until October 31.

As Lyme-based member Jennie Pearson said: “Our only prescription is an open-minded attitude to fibre and fabric. So threads may intermingle, bend, break or disappear as we experiment with media and techniques.

"Approaches may be traditional or conceptual, use photography, found objects, paper, plastics or print. Some work is more closely related to traditional crafts; other work to fine art as we question artistic hierarchies. We hope that audiences will enjoy our open-ended journey.”

*These exhibitions are open daily from 10.30am to4.30pm. Admission is free, and more information can be found at townmillarts.co.uk