An Andover artist has celebrated one year of having her own art gallery in the town centre.

Alex McGarry opened her studio in Waterloo Court in 2019, where she produces and displays a number of her artworks, including original paintings, cards and prints.

Since then, her work can now be found in galleries across the UK after she teamed up with De Montfort Fine Art, the country’s largest distributor of fine arts and prints, to display her work.

It’s a long way from when Alex started painting at an early age, when she completed an oil painting of a baby deer when she was just nine years old. She went on to join a number of art societies at the age of sixteen, and subsequently sold her first painting.

After spending some time outside of the art industry, working as an interior designer and later the visual merchandiser for a luxury cookware brand, Alex decided to become a full time, professional artist. She specialises in paintings of British and farmyard animals, as her first painting showed in her youth.

Her hard work paid off, being awarded the ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ award by the Fine Art Trade Guild at a ceremony in Stratford Upon Avon in May 2019.

Subsequently, in September, she opened her doors to her gallery for the first time, and a year on, has looked back on her venture. Alex said: “I was overwhelmed with how many people came from near and far to help support and celebrate the gallery being open for a year! I am so grateful to everyone who came along, bought paintings, gifts and showed the support once again!”

Though the store is currently closed during lockdown, she’s looking forward to opening again when restrictions are lifted, with her store currently operating online only.

When lockdown restrictions are lifted, the Alex McGarry Studio and Art Gallery is open from Tuesday to Friday between 9am and 2:30pm and on Saturday between 10am and 2:30pm.