Garth Bayley. Artist in Residence St. John's Church, Peterborough.

My home town of Peterborough is bursting with artists. They're everywhere, in places you would expect them and in places you wouldn't.

So this is a photo of Garth Bayley in the art gallery of the Peterborough museum , a fitting place for an artist, displaying the fruits of a year's work as artist in residence at St John's church in the middle of the city.

Garth Bayley. Artist.

I've known Garth's work for a while now and love his exuberant pictures of cows and manic landscapes so I was rather surprised when he took on the residency at the church. How did cows fit into that scenario?
I needn't have bothered because they didn't!
Instead we were served up a cornucopia of Christian images in a mixture of media.
Striking were

• The Last Supper, a mixed media picture on paper, seen from above, making it a strikingly modern image.
• Angels and Fallen Angels. Bird wings and clay, a rather sinister interpretation !
• In His Embrace. An oil painting on canvas, typical of Garth's style. This is a part of the continuing debate on same sex marriage.
• From the Cross. Oil on canvas. A powerful image of Christ on the Cross.
• The Wall of Fame. Portraits of people of the church. A joyous bank of portraits.

Garth Bayley. Wall of Fame.

It's a fabulous exhibition held at Peterborough Museum and is on until the 29th of June. You just have to go and see it !