LYME REGIS: Local artist Richard Bizley has been working with author Wolfgang Grulke to produce three major paintings and a drawing for a new fossil book.

The book is about the evolution of irregularly coiled ammonites and is called Heteromorph: The rarest fossil ammonites – nature at its most bizarre.

Richard, who was born profoundly deaf, is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists but despite a life-long interest in art, didn’t pursue his art full-time until 2003 after he moved to Lyme.

Before that he was a microbiologist and model maker.

He often paints astronomical, prehistoric, biological and science fiction scenes. He said: “I have a great appreciation of the beauty of science in many areas from microbiology to astronomy, palaeontology to wonderfully earthly scenes.

“Due to my style of work my paintings are sometimes thought to be computer generated.”

But that isn’t the case, he works in acrylics, he said.

“One of my biggest strengths is a deep interest in many subjects.”

And hence his collaboration with the fossil book showing scenes from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds.

He spent many months creating the three pictures and says he found it very rewarding to work with experts to produce the scenes.

Signed copies of the book, priced £36, are available at BizleyArt Gallery, Coombe Street, Lyme Regis.

He is also selling large stretched canvas prints of the paintings.