Shropshire is Kyrgyzstani artist's inspiration

Bakhtiar Umataliev, 50, has lived in the county for nearly 12 years and has built up a reputation for his stunning scenes of Shropshire.

While he lives in Tibberton, just outside Newport, one of his main loves is to paint Shrewsbury.

Mr Umataliev, who lives with wife Sandra, said: "Work brought me here, I married my wife, a Scottish lady and found a job here in Shropshire.

"I have loved painting since my childhood. I think I started when I was very little and then my parents never really understood that and they always thought it was a childish hobby.

"They tried to push me into academia."

Mr Umataliev completed a number of degrees before getting a job in IT, when his wife saw some of his work and encouraged him to join a night class and a variety of courses. He said: "She said I should do them as something to wind down and enjoy. I would really like to turn it into a full time job.

"I love Shropshire, it is a beautiful county. There are so many beautiful houses. I always start at one point in Shrewsbury and I can walk just a few steps before I find something else I want to paint. It is all the oak-framed buildings and all the streets, they are incredible."

Mr Umataliev said at the moment, his work is available to view at exhibitions he takes part in, and he is also on Facebook.