ALRESFORD Art Society’s annual exhibition boasted record sales and a display of the highest quality, with some 700 visitors over the three days.

Staged at Alresford Community Centre, not only was the standard of exhibits high but the variety of styles and subjects made for an exciting viewing, with entries in mosaic, acrylic, ink, oil, watercolour and pastel.

Nearly a third of the Society’s members exhibited with 20 artworks sold.

Mary Thompson won The People’s Choice prize with her watercolour painting Sparkling Med. The winner is selected by visitors to the exhibition who vote for their favourite artwork and the prize is a beautiful glass apple which the winner keeps for a year.

“Mary’s painting was so simple but stunning,” said art society chairman Sue Gentry. “It was an almost photographic rendition of a sparkling sea, which is very difficult to achieve with watercolour.”

The Rachel Thomsen Watercolour Prize was won by Sue Cox for her painting Helleborus Foetidus and the best new exhibitor prize went to Ted Hepenstal for his mixed media work Golden Glow, Crab Wood.

The show was due to be opened by Alresford MP Steve Brine but the baton was passed to Steve Gapper of Home Instead, specialist provider of non-medical care at home for older people. Home Instead had sponsored this year’s preview party and with every MP required in the house for votes on the Queen’s speech, Mr Gapper readily stepped forward to do the honours and declare the exhibition open.

This was the last show for Gillian McCallum, who has stepped down after five years organising the exhibition. A veteran of organising shows for Farnham Art Society, she thanked the hanging team and all the members who had offered their time to act as stewards.