A Bradford artist is set for his very own renaissance as the first major exhibition of his work opens in the county.

More than 100 original watercolours by John Dobby Walker have gone on show at a time when there is renewed interest in him from the art world.

All paintings in the exhibition, at McTague Old Prints and Paintings of Harrogate, are for sale. Many have come directly from the artist's family and have never before been on the open market.

"He's always had a bit of a following, and there's recently been a renewed interest in him," said owner Paul McTague, pictured with one of the paintings.

"He was very much inspired by Yorkshire - particularly scenes around Bradford."

The exhibition features tranquil rural scenes - haymaking, windmills, and farmsteads nestling at hillsides. There are summer scenes of Simon's Seat from Grassington and Eccleshill Church from Fagley, and a more industrial view of Manningham, with magnificent Lister's Mill taking centre stage.

Born in Bradford in 1863, John Dobby Walker started his career as a coach trimmer and painter at Messers. Sheethams, Coach Builders. His first piece of art work was painting a crest on a carriage.

He later studied at the Bradford Church Institute and following a spell as an art teacher, devoted his time to painting.

Much of Walker's work was inspired by the landscape around Undercliffe in Bradford but he also travelled throughout Britain and on the continent.

The Harrogate exhibition includes examples of his work painted in Holland, Spain, Italy and Scotland.

"Some of his best work shows parts of his own county," said Mr McTague.

"His fine draughtsmanship and good sense of colour are especially evident in pictures of his own neighbourhood around Eccleshill, Woodland Hills and other parts of the former West Riding.

"He was a master at capturing the character and atmosphere of local landscapes."

Walker's work went on view to a wider audience when he exhibited at the Royal Academy for many years.

The Dowager Empress of Russia bought two of his pictures from there and others were acquired by buyers in America.

Examples of Walker's work are on show today at Cartwright Hall in Bradford.

On hearing that the hall had accepted his work he modestly replied in a letter: "To be represented in the permanent collection of an art gallery like that is a distinction that I shall be proud of always."

Walker spent his last years around Kilburn, North Yorkshire, where many of his later watercolours were painted.

He died in July 1925 and was buried at Nab Wood, Shipley.