The wonderful Globe Gallery has returned to their original venue at the heart of the North Shields Cultural and Creative Quarter, and their first exhibition there is absolutely wild.

Mark Fairnington’s latest series of paintings offer an intricate exploration of the hidden world beneath the forest floor. Through his exquisite depiction of tree roots, he captures nature in motion, highlighting the vibrant and dynamic processes of growth, decay and regeneration. His meticulous brushwork and detailed portrayal of varied surfaces generate a restless energy, revealing the transformative power of the natural world. The show ‘Sottobosco: Tales of the Undergrowth’ sees Farinington masterfully combining the wildness of untamed nature with the cultivated desires of horticulture and topiary. His works – created from collaged photographs and referencing the rich histories of landscape and still-life painting, blur the lines between observation and imagination.

Mark Fairnington: Sottobosco: Tales of the Undergrowth, 27 July-20 September, The Globe Gallery, North Shields, globegallery.org