Oxhey artist Sophie Cordery is taking her art in a new direction for her latest exhibition, at the Pavilion at Chenies Manor – partly inspired by the manor house and its beautiful gardens.

“I normally paint interiors and domestic scenes – chairs, rooms, everyday objects,“ explains French-born Sophie, “but getting the exhibition at Chenies gave me a bit of incentive to show a bit of green!“

Titled The Smell of Roses, in homage to the stunning setting her work will find itself in, Sophie’s new collection – a mixture of oils and acrylics painted on to various fabrics and textures – features landscapes inspired by her journeys on trains and in cars, and paintings of flowers, and there will also be some of her older “domestic” paintings and etchings on display.

“Normally I paint in a flat, very graphic way,“ says Sophie, an art teacher at the Frobisher Studio in Bushey,“ so this is something very different for me, a challenge, but I’m really enjoying it.“

  • The Smell of Roses is at the Pavilion Gallery, Chenies Manor, Chenies on Wednesdays and Thursdays from May 27 until June 25, 2pm to 5pm, and on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25. Details: cheniesmanor.co.uk, artmajeur.com