GWENT artist Mal Charles likes to look below the surface, and he's confident his new portraits of Tony and Cherie Blair do just that.

The former head of art at St Julian's in Newport has made studies of politicians his main focus since his recent retirement, and he's planning to exhibit them as soon as the collection is finished.

"I am interested in the idea of seeing different sides of people from different angles," he said.

"Some of them look slightly menacing, depending on how you view them," he added.

A small exhibition of Mr Charles' work opened in Pontypool Museum this week. The works, which illustrate the Dylan Thomas poem Love in the Asylum, are similar in style to his new portraits.

After a lifetime of dedicating his talents to teaching others, the 59-year-old, who lives with his wife and fellow artist, Carol, in Goytre, is enjoying his retirement.

The son of a Blaenavon miner, he developed a passion for art at an early age, and won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. It was an offer he couldn't take up.

"At the time there was a clamp-down on grants, and on top of that my father died, so I couldn't get any support," he said.

Disappointed, but undeterred, he took up a place at Newport Art College, before going on to train as a teacher in Cardiff.

After a career in teaching, including 15 years as head of art at St Julians, he was ready to immerse himself in his work.

"The idea of the paintings is that they work on three or four different levels," said Mr Charles. He mixes pulp, and creates an uneven surface to work on. This gives his paintings their striking appearance.

He added: "I was watching Cherie Blair during that emotional speech after the business over her son and the Bristol flat, when the idea came to paint her. I was struck by the dual nature of people in the public eye, and how what's on the surface doesn't necessarily add up with what's underneath."