PROLIFIC artist Josephine Wall has been inspired by Christmas for her latest work.

She held a new exhibition at her gallery in Penn Hill and painted a large snow angel for the occasion.

She said: “I painted this picture because I love the snow and I’m fascinated by how every snowflake looks different.

“I had to use a really tiny brush to get the detail of every single snowflake right”

Josephine specialises in huge detailed paintings using techniques and styles inspired by the likes of Salvador Dali and Magritte.

And in addition to painting she does pottery, sculpture and reproduction stained glass panels.

“I used to paint about 30 paintings a year, but nowadays it’s about 15 a year. It’s an obsession, really” she said.

Jo started selling paintings at the age of 14 and has painted about 600 of them over the years.

She studied fine art at Bournemouth College before working at Poole Pottery, where she painted the dynamic and boldly coloured designs of the famous Delphis Ware.

She later made models for display at Harrods and her pottery figures include characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Josephine holds an annual exhibition in London with the Society for Art of the Imagination and her work has been exhibited across the world.

But Josephine said the gallery she started four years ago is a “dream come true”, where every inch of the walls is covered by colourful paintings of fairies, animals and goddesses.

She said: “This is not so much a shop as a gallery where people can wander in and look to their heart’s content.

Josephine also draws her inspiration from music, films and the Pre-Raphaelites.

“And we live in a beautiful area,” she said.

“There’s the New Forest and Purbeck Hills. Nature itself is a great inspiration”

She can be found painting in her gallery most Wednesdays and Saturdays when art lovers and fellow artists are welcome to visit and chat.

“I love encouraging young artists and giving them hints and tips, they are always welcome to watch me paint or ask me questions,” Josephine added.

“Another thing I have found over the years is that I love optimistic paintings rather than dark ones.

“I often create paintings with a message or a story, something a bit different so people don’t get bored with it.”