Swindon artist, Ken White, best known for the 100 murals he has painted around the world, has been entered in to a national competition by his daughter, Laura.

Since his wife Jan died, in January this year, Ken has found it hard to pick up a paint brush, so Laura decided to give him an incentive and entered him in the Landscape Artist of the Year competition run by Sky TV.

The programme, last year hosted by Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner, has eminent judges on hand to uncover the nation's best landscape painter.

Ken is brushing up on his technique to create Hedgehogs on the Hill, a scenic view of a clump of trees nestling in the hillside.

"Laura got me in to it as she knows how hard it is without Jan, and if I paint I am so focussed that I can't think of anything but the painting,'' said Ken, speaking from his studio in The Mall in Old Town.

"I am on my fourth picture. I have to send a photograph of my painting in to the programme, Laura is doing all that,'' said Ken.

Along with his murals, Ken is famous for painting the Scarlet Lady who adorns all Virgin planes. Richard Branson was Ken's patron and the artist was commissioned to paint artworks in Virgin record shops, hotels and airport lounges all over the world.

Ken began work, like his father, brother and grandfather before him, at the young age of 15 "inside" the Great Western Railway Works, first as a rivet hotter and then as a sign painter.

He left in 1962 to follow his dream and study at Swindon Art School alongside other famous names, Ray O'Sullivan better known as the singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan and Rick Davies who would go on to found Supertramp.

Ken painted more than 30 GWR oil paintings including the rivet hotters, and now the painting, along with three others, hangs in the Designer Outlet Village on the right hand side as you enter the Rodbourne Road entrance.

"I painted them because I wanted to document my working in the GWR, the atmosphere, noise, smells and the larger than life characters that I remember.'' said Ken, who was invited to the hanging of his pictures and the installation of title plaques beneath each one.

Ken said: "Joe Kempler from the Outlet Village bought seven of my GWR paintings, four stayed in Swindon so he must have taken the others back to America with him or perhaps they are hanging in his London headquarters.''

Ken is also hoping that a publisher will snap up his story to create a book showcasing his paintings and his life as an artist.

The winner of the Landscape Artist of The Year 2017 scoops a £10,000 commission for a British institution’s permanent collection and £500 of art materials from Cass Art. Landscape Artist of The Year will film at various locations around the UK.

To see more of Ken's work visit http://www.kenwhitemurals.co.uk/ - Flicky Harrison