A DORSET artist has been shortlisted for a £25,000 national sculpture prize.

Juliet Haysom, 29, from Langton Matravers, is one of eight artists in the running to land the Jerwood Sculpture Prize.

Winning would be a major boost for Miss Haysom's career and propel her work to national attention.

Her innovative entry 'Spring' takes water from a natural underground supply and disperses it like a fountain into a fine mist.

Miss Haysom has created a miniature of the sculpture which will be turned into full-scale reality if a panel of judges awards her first prize.

It will then stand alongside past winners in the grounds of a stately home in Warwickshire.

She said: "The idea of the sculpture is to create something that is different from the big solid pieces that sit in the park.

"I also liked the idea of making use of something natural that was already in the site - in this case the aquifer which sits beneath the ground. The park is huge and it will be quite magical when the light hits the mist and creates an atmospheric effect like a rainbow."

Despite an uncle being an artist Miss Haysom says stone work rather than sculpture runs in the family.

"I actually come from a long line of stonemasons - 16 generations in fact," she said.

"I'm a bit of a mystery to the rest of the family although I hope to incorporate a bit of stone in the sculpture as a base."

The Jerwood is open to artists who left college no more than 10 years ago.

Miss Haysom, who studied fine art at the Ruskin School in Oxford and at the Royal College of Art in London, is currently funding her career through teaching.

She recently moved from Dorset to London and hopes to open a studio to showcase her works, which include drawings and installations.

She said: "To win would be a major boost and allow me to pay my way as an artist. I'd also be able to rent a studio in London for the next couple of years."

The winner will be announced on May 1.