Brightly coloured stripes weaving across Marjorie Collins’s canvasses give her work such a distinctive look. Nobody paints stripes like she does. Sometimes they are reflected in the metal surfaces of the other objects in the picture, most aredistorted in reflections and refractions.

The vivid nature of her works and the dense use of colour suggest they are painted in oils when viewed from a distance. Not so — Marjorie works in watercolours, with stunning effect. She likes to paint fruit, vegetables, bakery goods and flowers, as well as glass, silver jugs and bowls. These are usually arranged in a shallow space on striped materials, which when crunched up alongside the central object creates a strong abstract pattern. These days a food theme often dominates.

This year she is showing two remarkable paintings of cupcakes. She says she was challenging herself to coordinate the colours of the frostings on the cakes with a complementary fabric.

In Cupcakes and Coffee (above) the patterned fabric on which they are placed takes the food and drink theme even further.

Marjorie enjoys painting shoes, too, and as she is a bridge player, cards are now appearing regularly.

Her work goes on show for Artweeks on May 21, 22, 28 and 29 from noon to 6pm at 28 Hayward Road.

Artweeks are something she particularly enjoys. She has been involved from the start and finds it provides her with a local showcase and a chance to talk to visitors. Over the years Marjorie has exhibited widely in American and England and has been awarded a number of prestigious prizes.