AN ARTIST inspired by the dramatic coastal and inland landscapes of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is to exhibit his work in Lyme.

Portraits of Golden Cap by local artist Edward Hall can be seen at Lyme Regis Museum’s Rotunda Gallery from now until March 5.

The exhibition explores the iconic form and setting of this highest point on the south coast.

Hall’s formative years in rural Essex and Cumbria nurtured his love of the outdoors and a lifelong passion to explore and interpret the landscapes around him through painting.

After a busy career as a chartered landscape architect that left little time for painting, he made a recent lifestyle change that resulted in a move to west Dorset.

Living in Ryall, the village on the slopes of Hardown Hill between Lyme and Bridport, he didn’t have to venture far from home for the inspiration that led to his series of paintings entitled ‘A Year on Hardown Hill’, exhibited at the Sou’-Sou’-West Gallery at Symondsbury in 2021.

A key feature of those views from Hardown Hill was Golden Cap, and it was a natural progression for Edward to turn his attention to exploring Golden Cap from different angles, seasons and times of day.

He has created this all-new collection of oil paintings specifically to exhibit in the unique space offered by Lyme’s Rotunda Gallery. The nature and arrangement of its walls suggested to him a series of vertical portraits, rather than the usual horizontal landscapes.

Although the colours and textures in Edward’s latest works are characteristic of his style, he found that creating portrait paintings of landscape subjects presented a particular challenge and demanded a different approach to composition.

While his previous work emphasised how the sky shapes our appreciation of the landscape, his latest paintings have instead resulted in a fascinating emphasis on foreground.

‘Portraits of Golden Cap’ can be seen Wednesdays through Sundays until February 26 and Tuesdays to Sundays thereafter, and admission charges apply.

For further information, visit www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk or www.edwardhallart.co.uk.