An international artist and teacher who grew up and studied in the Isle of Man is returning home to open a new exhibition.

Martin Hearne will open ’Day For Night - A Season in Douglas’, a collection of his latest paintings, at the Manx Museum on Saturday, January 22.

The collection features a series of nostalgia-tinged paintings that illustrate the transformation of Douglas, through the post-war years, into a sought-after holiday destination for hundreds of thousands of people.

Using vivid, vibrant colours inspired by the idea of a holiday season, Martin Hearne’s collection of work will aim to conjure up memories of seaside holidays, deckchairs, brightly coloured beach balls and long summer evenings spent under the bright festoon lights of Douglas promenade.

It uses colour schemes based on old postcards.

Martin began his career in the arts by studying at the Douglas School of Art, based at Kensington Road, between 1966 to 1968, and belongs to a fabled and successful period of productivity for the school, which also produced artists such as Bryan Kneale, Kevin Atherton, Ian Coulson and Michael Sandle.

After studying at degree level at St Martin’s College in London, he enjoyed a career that focused mainly on ceramics.

He also taught at many schools, ultimately becoming head of ceramics at Bradford School of Art, a post he held until 2015.

Following retirement he returned to painting and has created a series of paintings on Bradford street scenes, before turning his focus back on the island.

’I started the series of works in this exhibition with a collection of colourised Douglas at Night postcards that I had accumulated over the years,’ said Martin.

’In the summer Douglas became this other place, brighter, vibrant, the colours had shifted, there was a plastic shine on things.

’The sounds were different, voices had changed and newspapers wrote about the accents that could be heard on the streets in the coming weeks.

’These are the thoughts that circled round as I painted my pictures.

’I see them as an exploration and celebration of the now all but vanished mass tourism of the island that I remembered from the 50s to the 70s.’

’Day for Night’ will open at 2pm.

There will be a chance to meet and speak with Martin during the opening.