THE work of a “great man” is being exhibited in St Mary Bourne today (Saturday) and tomorrow.

J Richard Plincke died on September 8, 2018, in The Minster Gallery, in Winchester, after battling a heart condition for several years.

Now, his wife Rosemary has created a special collection for fans of Mr Plincke and art lovers to see in a retrospective exhibition at the village hall in St Mary Bourne, where he lived.

Rosemary said: “It is very emotional for me, he was a great artist with a big following. His paintings are very colourful, a lot of them are quite abstract and some of them are more representational but it is about the colour and that’s why we have called the exhibition A Magician in Colour.

“We want people to come and enjoy his talent. He gave a lot of people a lot of inspiration in his work too, he was very encouraging to other people - he was a person with knowledge and skills, and used to give art classes and private tutoring.

“He was a great man.”

Some of Mr Plincke’s work has been kept by Rosemary and others have been gifted to family members, but these works of art are available to enjoy and purchase.

Mr Plincke began painting and drawing early in his childhood.

His love of art and creativity was influenced by his education at Stowe School, where he was encouraged to study architecture.

He trained for an architectural diploma at the Architectural Association, London, and began practicing in the captial city initially before marrying in 1970 and the pair then moved to the Bourne Valley.

In 1972, together with John Browning and Keith Leama he established Plincke, Leaman & Browning in The Square, Winchester, a highly successful and award-winning architectural practice.

He was elected to the Royal Institute of British Watercolours in 1984 and exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition on a number of occasions.

The retrospective exhibition will be open to the public from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, and anyone looking to privately view the collection next week can call 01264 738403.