FIVE years after graduating from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Jedburgh artist Jamie Barr is back in the Borders and marking the anniversary with his first solo exhibition.

Mindscapes will be showing in Hawick Museum’s Waterfall Gallery until Sunday, November 12, and features a mix of real landscapes in Scotland and the Lake District with intriguing landscapes of the mind.

The former Jedburgh Grammar pupil was taught at Gray’s School of Art by established Hawick painter Andrew Cranston.

This influence can be seen in Jamie’s earlier works where his landscapes of the mind have a narrative feel.

Jamie said: "When I was at primary school, I recall being asked to draw a picture of our favourite place and write below it our reasons for choosing that place.

“It was in truth a simple writing exercise, but I remember relishing the idea and from that moment, for me anyway, imagery and words were linked.

“My place of choice was a local woodland area between Jedburgh and Morebattle in which I depicted simple, childish Christmas trees and all number of native wildlife.

“Three things have changed since then - my style of painting, a lack of animals of which my younger self would be appalled at, and the other... well, I came to realise that whatever I had to say, someone else had already said it better.”

More recent works show a simpler, more confident resolution of his various influences with great colour and composition.

First Fall, a snow-covered Lake District peak, is particularly arresting.

Glencoe, the Borders, the Lakes and Islay are depicted in inks, pastels, oils and mixed media in a pleasing show of attractive, well-composed and well-presented works.

Hawick Museum Assistant Curator Richard White commented: “It’s really good to see some contemporary landscape paintings by a Borders artist.”

Mindscapes, a charming show of well-presented, framed, original paintings, and is on display until Sunday, November 12 at Hawick Museum.