Farnham lost one of its artist legends, John Bryce, last year, after which the New Ashgate Gallery hosted a memorial exhibition in late 2022.

Since then, John’s family has discovered more than 50 paintings and prints, representing Farnham and the local area.

On Saturday, much of these lost works went on public display as The New Ashgate launched a final exhibition of artworks from John’s own collection.

Exceptionally, they are all available to purchase during the exhibition, which runs until September 16.

Born in London in 1934, John Bryce graduated in mechanical engineering at King’s College London. He worked as a research scientist at the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Farnborough, working on projects such as Concorde.

He, however, maintained a keen interest in painting and wood engraving and became an exhibiting member of both the Farnham and Guildford art societies in the early 1970s.

After he retired, John pursued an active artistic career as a painter and printmaker. He painted in watercolour, oils and mixed media, creating original print images through the challenging medium of wood engraving, often using his paintings as an inspiration for the engraved image.

In John’s work, wood engraving is a powerful medium for depicting the effects of light because it expresses the dramatic contrast between intense black and pure white.

John was influenced by the effects of light as it occurs in the sky, on buildings and on water. Furthermore, his mark making on the block expressed the drama and mood of an experienced event.

John said: “In my wood engraving work I first make careful sketches, then I try to portray the event by cutting bold and varied marks with a variety of different-shaped tools to create an exciting and dramatic image.”

John was elected a member of the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) in 1990 and a senior fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in 2010.

Furthermore, he exhibited with the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Society of Marine Artists.

His background in aviation stimulated a keen interest in painting aircraft with the Guild of Aviation Artists (GAvA).

The New Ashgate Gallery’s exhibition John Bryce: Honouring the exceptional artist – the final exhibition from John’s Own Collection runs until Saturday, September 16. See www.newashgate.org.uk