THE ELEMENT of water fascinates pastel artist Jill Hobbs - whether in clouds rolling across the sky, in the sea, in the babbling streams of the South Wales Valleys or in crystalline, frozen form.

Water Features, her new show upstairs at Llantarnam Grange, brings together a number of her intensely worked and tonally rich pastel pictures of the Welsh landscape.

The artist currently lives and works near Pontypool and this show contains pictures from around the Gwent valleys, including a haunting study of the snowfall on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal near Cwmbran, as well as work from Usk, the Brecon Beacons, and Pembrokeshire.

Gallery director Hywel Pontin said: "She's based in New Inn just up the road and she's done a couple of workshops here for us.

"She's developing quite a good reputation locally, and the majority of her pictures are of local scenes.

"Technically she's very, very good indeed. What I find fascinating is that she can evoke the colours and essence of the fresh snow very well which not many people could do.

"She also has a knack for composing the picture seemingly effortlessly." Jill Hobbs - Water Features runs at Llantarnam Grange until Christmas Eve.