HUMPH Hack, exhibition curator at Malvern Theatres, reflects on the three new talents whose work is being displayed at the theatres in the New Year.

David ‘DJ’ Johnson has been drawing and painting for as long as he can remember.

Creating artwork has always been a driving force and passion in his life.

He loves nothing better than spending long periods of time wandering through autumn forests or following misty mountain ridges.

As you can see from his paintings, being outside in nature is a huge source of inspiration and viewing his work takes you there.

For many years he worked in professional fine art studios - designing and producing artwork for hotels, restaurants, commercial spaces, public areas and private estates worldwide.

Now an independent freelance artist, he enjoys spending time teaching art classes and running mural-painting workshops throughout the UK and Europe.

Tanja Moderscheim paints flora, fauna, the figure and landscapes in oil, but most of the works in this exhibition are still lifes.

As a Dutch painter abroad, she works in the style of the Dutch Old Masters, adopting traditional technique and style.

Her paintings have a timeless feel.

In keeping with 17th-Century painting methods, she works on wood or linen and builds up layers of pigment to achieve luminous paintings.

She expresses a sense of calm through the use of ample space, harmony and simple colour schemes.

Carefully crafting her paintings, she achieves pieces which offer the viewer an oasis in today’s fast-paced world.

She sells successfully across Europe.

Marion Wilford is self-taught.

She has an eclectic taste in the style and subjects she paints - pop art, seascapes, landscapes and room interiors.

Her inspiration comes from mood and from light, an incredible sky, a shaft of sunlight dramatically illuminating a small visual jewel that otherwise would remain hidden or an everyday object that acquires its own beauty by being observed in close focus.

“There is nothing more exciting than a blank canvas in front of you and an image in your mind – and to see that image become real, purely through myriad strokes of colour”, she says.

Marion chooses to paint in acrylics, loving the immediacy and vibrancy of colours that are found in that medium.

It also allows the artist to layer the colours to achieve an endless variety of results.

Her work has been shown across the world but, like the other two artists, has never exhibited in Malvern before.

The exhibition is open seven days a week until Sunday, February 22.