One of the UK’s finest artists is to hold a homecoming exhibition in Teignmouth later this month.

Ian Nathan, who grew up by the New Quay and comes from a line of Teignmouth fishermen and lifeboat men, has sold out exhibitions all over the country.

From July 19 to August 1, he will be hosting a one-off home coming show at Teignmouth Arts Action Group’s (TAAG) in Teignmouth’s Northumberland Place.

The exhibition, which includes 35 new paintings, celebrates Ian’s diverse portfolio ranging from the depictions of wildlife he is famed for to local scenes and semi-abstract seascapes.

Ian, who previously had a gallery on the Quay in Teignmouth in the early 2000s, said he was keen to make his mark on his home town again. ‘I’m very proud of being a local,’ he commented.

Born in 1954, Ian’s life is as diverse as his sketchbook. As a youngster, he enjoyed drawing and painting but his interest was eclipsed by other activities.

He took up boxing and cites Fred Tooley as a big influence on his life. However, after deciding that he was ‘rubbish’ at boxing, he was persuaded at around the age of 12 to take up dancing – ‘partly because there were a lot of girls and not many boys’ - at the of Barbara Spencer-Edwards dance school.

‘After a couple of years, I decided I really wanted to make something of myself, so I went to London and auditioned for the Royal Ballet,’ Ian recalled. He was accepted and moved from Teignmouth Secondary School to live in a mansion in Richmond Park and attend the Royal Ballet School.

‘I met some incredible people,’ Ian said, citing names such as Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. However, he realised he wasn’t going to be ‘top notch dancer’ and flunked an audition for the Festival Ballet before returning to Teignmouth to work as a labourer on the docks.

A few years later, he took a graphic design course at college. He was painting in his spare time and kept taking his art to galleries in Torquay.

The Triton Gallery in Torquay recognised his talent and he opened with a sell-out show and, he commented, ‘that was sort of it’. He left college to pursue a career as a full-time artist.

Since then, he has shown his work in the Halcyon in Birmingham and some of London’s best galleries.

In London, he was introduced to Princess Anne and gave her three paintings which were auctioned.

After more than a decade, Ian returned to Teignmouth where he set up a gallery on the Quay, which was open for five years during the early 2000s. Then he returned to his riverside home to focus on painting.

While Ian was initially famed for his intricate wildlife paintings, the exhibition will show the full range of his portfolio. ‘I can turn my hand to anything as long as I am interested in it,’ he commented. Much of his more recent work is focused on landscapes that will be instantly recognisable to those familiar with the Teignmouth area and beautiful abstract seascapes.