PIONEERING artist Abigail Durrant is living out the career she always wanted as a child.

Abigail, 26, whose parents live in Marlborough, is a professional artist whose first solo exhibition comes to an end on Saturday at the Mount House Gallery in Bridewell Street.

She said she knew even when she was a child that she wanted to grow up to be a painter.

She was helped in her career by art lessons at the former Bajazzo gallery in Marlborough run by Karon Staniland.

After arts school Abigail set up her own design company and worked as a freelance graphics designer, but still got commissions for her paintings from companies including Standard Life.

Abigail said: "I ended up earning more from selling my art than from working as a designer."

The Standard Life collection of work by notable young artists includes several of Abigail's paintings.

In 2000 her work received official recognition when she was awarded the Fresh Artists of the Year award that is supported by the Arts Council and the Tate Gallery.

Currently she is mid-way through a masters degree course at the Royal College of Art in London.

Abigail is currently specialising in paintings that are a blend of the traditional with modern techniques including animation, photography and computer generated art.

Her mother Christine, has now also embarked on a fine art course, at Swindon College.