A CONTEMPORARY artist known for his miniature superhero pieces will be appearing in Reading this weekend to unveil his last collection of the popular works before embarking on a new project.

Nigel Humphries will be at Castle Fine Art on Chain Street on Saturday (April 6) from 1pm-3pm, where he will speak to visitors about the inspirations and techniques behind his collections to date.

His latest body of work will then be on display for a further week.

Passionate about revolutionising the way we view still-life painting, Nigel hopes to spread happiness through his art, and admires artists such as Norman Rockwell, Alex Ross and Arthur Rackham.

For each piece he creates, the artist sets up a miniature theatre stage with crumpled paper for the backdrop and the superhero character lit up in the centre.

He outlines the initial layout on the canvas in willow charcoal before applying oil paint onto a fine-grain linen canvas panel, which allows him to capture details.

Speaking ahead of his appearance in Reading, Nigel Humphries said: "Nostalgia is a driving influence in all of my work.

"Being self-taught, I have studied many artists – particularly the techniques of the Old Masters, which I have adapted to suit my own way of working.

"I look forward to visiting the Reading gallery to share my collection and hope the works will bring smiles to people’s faces."

Kevin Goodbody, gallery manager at Castle Fine Art, Reading, said: "We’re extremely excited to be joined by Nigel this weekend for him to share his new miniature superhero pieces.

"This is the last miniature superhero release from the artist before he takes his work in a new and exciting direction, so for any superhero fans and admirers of Nigel’s work, this is an event not to be missed."