A BASINGSTOKE artist had his painting selected for a special annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.

Russell Bignold, 60, triumphed over thousands of artists to make it into the ING Discerning Eye exhibition for the second time.

His painting ‘Jokers Wild’, which shows a sad Joker in jail, was selected by sculptor Julian Wild who trained with Damien Hirst.

Basingstoke Gazette: Russell's painting Jokers WildRussell's painting Jokers Wild (Image: Russell Bignold)

Mr Bignold runs workshops across Hampshire alongside his practice, provides talks on art and the creative process and runs private lessons and a regular weekly art group in West Wellow named 'Romsey Rebels'.

The art teacher has been sculpting for nearly 10 years.

Basingstoke Gazette: Russell BignoldRussell Bignold (Image: Russell Bignold)

ING Discerning Eye had 6,500 works of art submitted this year with only 628 of them being selected from just 387 artists.

The exhibition showcases talent in a wide range of media such as painting, drawing, sculpture, print, photography, video, textile and ceramic.

The display was curated by a star-studded panel including singer Ian “H” Watkins and former England footballer Tony Adams.

The exhibition was open until Saturday, November 25 and is online until December 31. This is the 25th year of the Discerning Eye charity’s partnership with bank ING.

For more information or to view the exhibition go to discerningeye.org/portfolio.