STOURBRIDGE-based artist Peter Shread is currently exhibiting at the Malvern Theatres.

Mr Shread was born in Birmingham in 1940 and studied at Moseley School of Art and Birmingham School of Art. From 1961, he taught art in Dudley until taking early retirement in 1993.

In Malvern, he is exhibiting linocuts and woodcuts, along with a number of original oils.

"In my work, I try to combine the decorative and the topographical aspects of the landscape subjects to produce a strong image," he said.

"My woodcuts and linocuts in the exhibition are relief prints. They are made by drawing a design on a block of lino or wood and then cutting away the background with a knife and gouges. The finished block is then inked with a roller and printed in a press.

"To make a colour print, a separate block is cut for each new colour. These are then printed in sequence, one colour over another, until the image is complete. By adding a transparent medium to the ink, it is possible to overlay two colours to provide a third."

Mr Shread has staged numerous exhibitions over the years in the Midlands and beyond, including ones at Worcester Art Gallery and Cambridge University.

His work can also be seen in a more urban context. In 1990, he was commissioned by Dudley Council to design five decorative panels, each 12ft long, for the Foster Street subway in Stourbridge

In 1995, he designed a decorative panel, again for Dudley council, on the theme of architecture in Stourbridge, and in 1997 he was chosen from 100 artists to produce designs for Midland Metro, which were incorporated into a number of Metro stop shelters.

Mr Shread's works are on show in Malvern Theatres until the end of August.