A GWENT great-grandfather has offered a different perspective of the area in a unique photography exhibition at Barnabas Arts House.

Andrew Worsfold, 64 of Cwmbran has lived in Gwent all his life. His life was transformed when he decided to return to college at the age of 45. Mr Worsfold was 48 by the time he left Newport Art College in 1996, after studying fine art and photography.

Throughout his work he has always worked digitally, but there’s no sign of Photoshop here in his latest exhibition, Variations.

Mr Worsfold, who also works as a framer in Barnabas Arts House, said: “Everything is done in camera rather than computer. “

The unique effects are instead achieved through clever experiments with light and translucent materials like tracing paper and packing paper.

The collection of 50 photographs took Mr Worsfold nine months to put together. It came about after he won a competition in 2012, where three landscapes of the Newport Wetlands earned him the first prize of the Barnabas exhibition space.

He said there was no end goal to the exhibition, but it was instead a more organic process.

“I don’t work in a definite style. It depends where my mood takes me.”

And you’d be forgiven for thinking the exhibition was the work of two photographers. The black and white landscapes are very different to the still life abstract studies.

His landscapes range from walkways in Magor Marshes, to Cwmbran farmhouses and industrial backdrops at Big Pit.

He said: “I’m more interested to find hidden places locally than to go somewhere further afield. “

Glass bottles and vases with dried flowers are transformed into abstract formations as the colours and shapes are distorted by the tracing paper. A series of six studies that resemble fluid petal-like shapes are in fact curled tracing paper lit from different angles.

Mr Worsfold plans to retire from framing in December, when he turns 65. But in two weeks time he is expecting to become a great grandfather for the second time and you can guess who’ll be taking charge of the baby pictures.

The exhibition is on until 20 September. All pieces are available to purchase from £150- £175.

http://barnabasartshouse.co.uk