WILDLIFE artist L Paul Matthews is set to stage his spring open house exhibition near Dorchester.

Paul chose a career as a professional artist in 2011 painting wildlife and portraiture from his home in rural Dorset after painting and drawing since childhood.

In 2012 his work attracted wide acclaim when he was a finalist in the David Shepherd Foundation’s competition for Wildlife Artist of the Year.

His picture The Passenger, selected ahead of thousands of entries from all over the world, received the Public’s Choice Award at The Mall Galleries, London.

Almost at the same time, Paul was in the final of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year competition, receiving runner-up in the Frozen Planet section with a polar bear portrait. It was the fourth year Paul was shortlisted for the final of the BBC competition since its inception in 2008.

The wildlife of Dorset has moved to the fore in recent years, especially due to travel restrictions, but he recently travelled to the Okavango Delta in North Botswana and has previously visited Kenya and Tanzania.

Paul’s work can be viewed online and at galleries across Dorset and beyond.

He also runs workshops and gives public demonstrations to art clubs.

The exhibition is at 23 High Street, Puddletown (DT2 8RT) from May 26-29, June 3-4 and June 10-11, open from 11am-5.30pm.