Kenneth Brown, a Monmouth artist who is in his 90th year, has drawn the inspiration for his latest work from a brand-new housing development taking shape right opposite his own home.

Mr Brown MBE, who is president of the Wye Valley Art Society, has produced a series of watercolour paintings showing builders working on new housing in the historic centre of Monmouth, close to St James Square.

Award-winning housing developer, Lovell, is building modern almshouse accommodation for Bristol Charities and ten high-specification mews homes for sale with a showhome set to open later this month. Four of the ten homes have already been sold off plan prior to the show home opening.

"I focus on figurative work and portraits and, living opposite the site, I've been able to watch the construction work in progress and thought it would make a good subject for a picture," says Mr Brown, a retired businessman and long-time artist who paints for pleasure. "Matthew, the site manager, let me on to the development to do some sketching and take some photographs. I'm pleased with the final results, I like the way the hard-hatted figures in their hi-vis clothes seem to almost 'jump' out of the pictures."

Lovell itself has also been impressed with the artworks – the company has bought two of the seven pictures painted by Mr Brown and plans to display them in it's head office. "We love the way Ken has captured the busy feeling of the site and put the spotlight on the hard work of the construction team," says Lovell regional sales manager Kate Rees.

The local New Leaf Gallery helped to advertise the Wye Valley Art Society's Annual Exhibition by displaying Ken's Cwrt William Jones paintings in its window.

Gallery owner Jacqui Trefgarne says: "We had quite a bit of interest with a lot of people stopping and looking at them - including some of the builders portrayed in the work, who were entertained at the thought of themselves featuring in works of art."