The Manx wildlife and surrounding countryside has been captured in a stunning collection of paintings from two very different artists.

Painters Chrissie Moss and Colette Davies recently opened their joint exhibition at the Hodgson Loom gallery, above the Laxey Woollen Mills, with the aim to celebrate the Manx biosphere with each artists work displaying the essence of the wild and wonderful side of the Isle of Man.

Landscape painter Colette has produced a series of stunning and graphic landscapes, while painter and illustrator Chrissie has produced a series of pictures featuring some of the birdlife that can be seen around the island.

Both collections are also both artists way of emerging from the recent period of lockdowns and expressing their delight for the wide open spaces and the fresh air of the island’s countryside.

Colette has tried to capture a sense of unchanged timelessness throughout the island’s landscapes in her work, while Chrissie hopes that her paintings of birds, created with a care and a love for wildlife, will encourage others to take more note of what is around them.

’I’m passionate about the Isle of Man and the nature that’s around us,’ said Chrissie.

’The flora and fauna of the Isle of Man is amazing and it never fails to amaze me.

’When I go out walking, I sketch as I go, or I take a lot of photographs and there is always something around that catches your eye.

’I love the closeness we have here in the island to the wildlife.

’It is all around us and we live in very close proximity to our wildlife. I love that and that’s why we go walking around the hills and coastline.’

Chrissie said she found the lockdowns initially hard to cope with, but gradually began to feel the creative urge again, which she channelled into painting the wildlife close to home.

’I couldn’t get my head around the lockdowns at first and I just couldn’t be creative,’ she said.

’But as they went on I really did knuckle down and get a lot of work done.

’A lot of these paintings were actually painted around Castletown, near to where I live. The inner harbour is quite a pull for me and I’ve seen all sorts of birds there, including kingfishers, along with the swans, the geese and the herons that are quite commonly seen.

’There are also oyster catchers and redshanks and many more. These all visit that area regularly and they are so close to us.’

Colette also said her work is inspired by the feeling of ’gratitude for experiencing the pandemic in such a wonderful place, with space for fresh air and solitude’.

Chrissie is originally from Derby and she worked as professional technical illustrator with Rolls Royce for many years.

She also worked for RHS Chelsea and also taught botanical art and illustration, which led her to produce detailed pen-and-ink drawings of many flowers and species.

She hopes her art expresses her love for nature, as well as her fears for the future of some of the species she has drawn and painted.

’I find it sad to think that some of the birds featured here are on the red list, and could possibly die out,’ she said.

’When I talk to people, I always find a real lack of knowledge about the bird-life around us and I think we will really miss a lot of the birds when they are gone.

’I think it is very sad that, in years to come, you may not hear the sound of a curlew as you walk around the coast and, if people do notice its gone, then it is probably too late to do anything about.

’ These are things I really don’t want to lose and , especially on the island, we really do need to keep hold of as much wildlife that lives around the island we can.

’Obviously we are working towards that in various ways, but I do think that more could be done. The protection of our wildlife, to me is so important. We are part of that wildlife, and we are part of that chain. I think people forget that very quickly.

’I want people to love the animals, the birds, the environment and the all things that I depict.’

The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm.