One of the island’s most popular and well-known artists has said that a new-found love of bright comic-book art has helped to inspire his latest exhibition.

Bruno Cavellec opened his latest exhibition, ’My Mother’s Son’ at the Isle Contemporary gallery at Tynwald Mills and, while the art work for the exhibition was largely inspired by the passing of Bruno’s mother earlier this year, he also said that his vivid and eye-catching creations were also inspired by graphic and cinematic art work.

’A lot of this collection came from my love of comic books,’ said Bruno.

’I only bought my first comic book when I was 50 years old. My mother wanted my education to be with classic novels, such as Dickens and Mark Twain.

’She thought things like comic books were frivolous so I wasn’t brought up reading them. I knew nothing about them.

’Now I love them. I love their illustrative style and I just want to take my work to that particular dimension of very stripped down lines and lots of colours, but always with the aim to tell a story within a picture. That’s the most important thing.

’I need a story to put somebody in a context.’

Bruno has also launched a creative writing competition, based around his exhibition.

He has offered a prize for the best short story, poem or prose written around one of his digital images or around inspiration taken from the collection of art work in general.

There will be two categories for children up to the age of 16 and one for adults, and the competition will be judged by a panel of three acclaimed local writers, Alan Bradley, poet Janet Lees and Graham Hamer.

The winners in each category will receive their chosen signed, limited edition print framed and have their story published.

Details on how to enter can be found on the Bruno Cavellec Art Facebook page, with a deadline for submission being Friday, November 27.

Bruno’s ’My Mother’s Son’ exhibition is on show at Isle Contemporary The Courtyard, Tynwald Mills until Sunday, November 22.

by Mike Wade

Twitter:@iomnewspapers