COUNTYWIDE annual art trail Hampshire Open Studios (HOS) returns this month.

The free event allows art lovers to meet a diverse range of professional and amateur artists in their studios, homes and galleries across Hampshire.

Around 250 studios, galleries, artists and art groups, which include in excess of 500 artists, open their doors to exhibit original artwork, give talks and demonstrations to the visiting public.

New for this year is a major exhibition and launch event at ArtSway, which is the culmination of an innovative collaboration between Coastal Gallery and Hampshire Open Studios. In the heart of the New Forest, the show, curated by Coastal Gallery, will bring together the best collection of modern artwork by locally based contemporary artists, new emerging talents, and established artists of international acclaim.

The exhibition, Coastal Gallery: Open at ArtSway, will feature new and large-scale work from a select number of recognised national artists who are based in the region. The collection is a unique collaboration featuring installation art and ceramics to contemporary painting, prints and sculpture.

HOS is also sponsoring a venue at Forest Art Centre New Milton to present work by new and unseen artists as a pre-cursor to plans to roll out a rotating programme of exhibitions across the county in the coming years to promote local talent.

Other highlights include the Great Abshot Barn venue at Titchfield Common. Artists Wendy Hunt, Ruth Goodridge, Jess Knowles, Julie Longdon, Clive Meredith, Helen Palmer, Rachel Simpson, Jenny Witchard will showcase bronze scultpure, oil, pastel, coloured pencil, silver jewellery, driftwood and felting in the stunning renovated barn set in a large country garden.

Watermark at Lepe Country Park will see semi-abstract landscapes from Sandra Binney, bright gouache landscapes from Evelyn Bartlett, watercolours and pressed seaweed from Jane Cartwright and designer fused and upcycled glass from Jo Lapage on display.

See an inspirational group of over 40 artists showing a diverse range of work in watercolours, oils, mixed media and felt at Sarisbury Community Centre.

More than 60 new spaces are exhibiting this year – from Aldershot to the New Forest and everywhere in between.

Watch work in progress, ask about materials or techniques or just enjoy the arts being made in unique rural, city or coastal studios and maybe pick up a great piece of unique art.

Hampshire Open Studios runs from August 20 to 29.

For more details, visit hampshireopenstudios.org.uk