MANY of us come away from an art exhibition feeling inspired – if only briefly – to dust off the watercolour set in the loft.

It's not often you get the chance to have a masterclass from the artist herself.

That was the opportunity that visitors to the Old Fire Station got this week.

The George Street gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of abstract and 'mysterious' works by Oxford painter and illustrator Jaya Mansberger, and on Wednesday afternoon, painting tutor Kieran Stiles led a workshop inspired by the show, including a chat with the artist herself.

Among other tips, Mr Stiles showed his students how to create unusual surface textures using watercolours on resistant gresso primed paper.

He explained: "This painting technique allows abstracted forms to emerge serendipitously, which may hint at the definition of shapes in a landscape."

Among the students hoping to absorb some of Ms Mansberger's greatest by osmosis were Louise Darmagnac and Nicola Josse, pictured here finishing off the works they created.

The two-hour workshop cost £8 including materials, and the artists got to take home their creations at the end of the day.

Find upcoming events at oldfirestation.org.uk