NIGEL Butcher has been observing nature his whole life, but for most of that time he kept his observations to himself.

Although he was always a passionate artist, it was only in 2009 after leaving a career as a surveyor and construction manager that he finally took the leap and became a full-time artist.

He shares his home with a labrador, a parrot, some hens, goldfish and several colonies of honey bees.

He is sharing an exhibition of his wildlife paintings this month at Wantage’s Vale and Downland Museum.

Mr Butcher, who lives in Berkshire, said: “My first love has to be depicting nature in drawings, coloured illustrations and painting. Whenever commercial demands allowed, I returned to this subject.

“I am inspired by my own experiences using photographs to supply the detailed information my memory lacks.”

His exhibition, Observing Nature, opens today and runs until the end of the month. On August 31, Mr Butcher will attend the exhibition between 1.30pm and 3.30pm to chat with the public about his work.