Milford Haven born and bred hobby painter, Deborah Thomas, will host her first ever solo art exhibition at the Torch Theatre this June. Having attended Milford Central School, she loved art classes, and at the age of eight, was accepted as a student at an art college in Newton Abbott during her days living in Devon.

Andy Capp, the British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe, the character that appeared in both the Daily Mirror and the Sunday mirror newspapers inspired Deborah to draw and she could often be found sketching the popular flat cap chap.

However, having left school, Deborah never picked up a pencil for some 20 or so years and didn’t give art a second thought.

“After a long time away from painting, I picked up a pencil and decided to draw. I tried working with both pastel chalks and pencils and loved working with these mediums. I paint as a hobby and became self-taught and I love painting to detail,” said Deborah who looks after Diana, her elderly mother.

“I don’t paint as much as I’d like to but when I do paint, I’m transported into my own little world. It’s like an escapism and I need to be in that atmosphere to paint. My whole family is very supportive of my hobby and my son, Gregory in Australia, has one of my paintings down under – a lion’s head,” explained Deborah.

Her first painting after a long time away from the paint box was the American actress, Marilyn Monroe. Paintings such as the Violin, Celtic Barn Owls, White Thunder, a Bald Eagle, a White Iceland Falcon, a Beagle and Mum and Baby Fox now add to her collection and can be viewed at the Torch during June.

“Having this exhibition at the Torch Theatre does mean a lot to me. I’m excited, but there’s a bit of anxiousness involved but overall I’m really very excited. I always want to better myself and I’m my own worst critic but I do the best I can,” concluded Deborah.

An Exhibition of Pastel Paintings by Deborah Thomas can be seen at the Joanna Field Gallery in the Torch Theatre this June. The gallery is open during Box Office hours. For further information please visit the Theatre's website torchtheatre.co.uk or contact the Box Office on 01646 695267.