WINCHESTER artist Josephine Chisholm was astounded and delighted when a top New York gallery asked to display some of her work.

When her paintings go on display in the Odyssey of Color exhibition at the prestigious Agora Gallery on Saturday it will not only be the first time Josephine’s work has been displayed in America – it will be her first overseas show.

Josephine, who teaches art at The Tower Arts Centre in Winchester, is not sure how the gallery’s curators found out about her work.

“It was a big surprise when they contacted me around a year ago,” she says.

“I can only think that someone saw my work at the Winchester Christmas Market. I am very excited, it’s one of the top galleries in New York.”

Josephine hopes that the exhibition might open up a new stateside market to her.

“It’s a chance to put your toe in the water and see how you are received,” she says.

Josephine has seven of her lively, colourful paintings going into the exhibition, which features other artists.

She paints landscapes and cityscapes in bright, bold oil, acrylic and gouache paints, conveying all the light and warmth of the places she depicts.

She frequently paints scenes from her travels – the bright sunlight of France’s Mediterranean coast, the fog-shrouded light of the San Francisco bay, or the stormy skies of the British Isles.

Some of Jospehine’s work can be seen closer to home in The Minster Gallery Winchester, and the Jane Fuest Gallery, Alresford.