LOCAL artist Liam Spencer will have two decades worth of his outstanding work on display at Gallery Oldham from 9 June - 6 October 2012.

The show will include paintings of familiar landscapes from Manchester, Salford, Rochdale and Saddleworth.

The exhibition, titled ‘Liam Spencer Painting From Life: Twenty Years And Counting’, will feature both retrospective and new pieces.

A key figure in the Manchester art scene in the 1980s and 1990s, Spencer became particularly prominent in 2000 with solo exhibition, ‘Urban Panoramas’ at The Lowry, Salford Quays. The Mancunian artist’s loose brush stroke style of capturing identifiable landscapes proved extremely popular with Salford’s locals.

Terracotta mills set against vivid blue skies, panoramic views of the Mancunian Way and Salford Quays, landscapes recreated in both daylight and at dusk as are the works that Spencer is now identified by.

Liam Spencer in the studioLiam Spencer in the studio

The show will include paintings of familiar landscapes from Manchester, Salford, Rochdale and Saddleworth. Significant new works exploring the varied landscape of Oldham will also be on display including a gigantic 14ft panoramic view of the town - the largest painting Spencer has ever completed.

This enormous painting will be a central feature of the exhibition captured from the same point as the famous 1876 Oldham Panorama, which is on permanent display at Gallery Oldham. The new painting captures a vibrant urban scene reflecting the changes in Oldham’s landscape.

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Community Development, said: “We are delighted to welcome an artist of the calibre of Liam Spencer to exhibit in Gallery Oldham. I’m sure many visitors to the exhibition will be able to recognise the landscapes in many of his pieces which feature Oldham.

“The Oldham Panorama is one of the best known pieces in the Borough’s outstanding collection of art and I’m sure people will be intrigued to see Spencer’s take on it – nearly 140 years after the original was completed.”

The exhibition opens on 9 June and runs until 6 October.

Visit www.galleryoldham.org.uk