A LOCAL artist is bringing his works to the Dorset County Museum 30 years after previously exhibiting at the venue.

David West's Under the Surface exhibition will showcase his carvings and paintings from April 8 until January 6, 2018.

The display brings together 70 of his most important pieces spanning 60 years of work,

It reflects the different strands of his development as a painter, sculptor and craftsman, illustrating the progression and interaction between his use of paint and wood, in what is described as a landmark exhibition for the Dorset artist.

Born in 1939, David went to Sutton and Cheam School of Art and Camberwell School of Art where he studied painting and printmaking.

On leaving Camberwell he began to explore his love of decoration and strong pattern.

In the 1960s his work began to explore flexible ways to construct paintings within a three dimensional framework, which led on to painting on wood.

Initially, wood was a substitute for canvas, but he soon became interested in its possibilities, and gradually there was more constructing and carving and less painting.

With a strong interest in architecture, some of David's pieces portray actual houses, such as Parnham House and Forde Abbey, others are pure inventions.

Later models include a shop and theatre, and Dorset County Museum is lucky enough to have The Spode Set, a miniature theatre carved in wood based on the Spode Italian ceramic design.

David’s woodcut prints became a natural extension of his carving.

His work is also influenced by his coastal surroundings after moving to Lyme Regis in 1981, where he began to carve sculptures based on walks along the beach.

Variations of footpaths, waterfalls, fishponds and mountain streams are among the many gilded carvings and woodcut prints in the exhibition.

A spokesman for the museum said: "Dorset County Museum is pleased to be welcoming David West back following a successful exhibition at the museum almost 30 years ago."