Kingsbridge Library has had its new Art Wall officially opened by district and county councillor Julian Brazil.

The wall, just inside the library on the left hand side, will now be used for a local artist to exhibit their work, with a cut of any sales they make going to Kingsbridge Library to keep them running.

Cllr Julian Brazil, eventually, cut the ribbon - we’re blaming the scissors - and said: “I feel a bit of a fraud coming to open these kind of things because I’ve done absolutely nothing towards this, and then I get to come along and have the pleasure of opening it.

“Thank you to Maria, everyone involved in Libraries Unlimited, and everyone who works here. We have a fantastic facility here in Kingsbridge, and with the cuts going on at county council, it is because of the hard work of everyone involved that we’ve managed to keep it open.

“I think its a great idea, John’s work looks absolutely fabulous, and I think it is an innovative way of raising money for the library that provides a fantastic service that you can’t really measure in money. So congratulations.”

The first artist to be exhibited, John Weston, is a retired art teacher who now works in Alkyd, a fast-drying oil paint, to create works mainly focussed on the human form.

In his artist bio, he says “My paintings are mainly concerned with the human form, however, I really like placing the figure in interesting and unusual spaces”.

At the launch on Monday, October 16, John painted a still life of one of the library’s frequent visitors Jim Wood, creating a beautiful portrait in just an-hour-and-a-half and taking some photos of Jim to finish off his masterpiece at a later date.

Maria Johnson, Library Supervisor, said: “We will have a new artist once a month. It gives artists a space to exhibit their work, which can be difficult to come by, and we get 20 per cent of what they sell, which compared to other galleries and exhibition spaces, is very good, and helps to support the library. So spread the word!”

John Weston will now be in place until after Christmas, with a new artist lined up to take his place at the start of January.

You can find out about all the services on offer at Kingsbridge Library at www.devon.gov.uk/kingsbridge_library#services and you can watch Cllr Brazil open the Art Wall below: