Sidney Nolan Art Prize. Mount Purgatory oil on canvas 120x100cm was selected for the Sidney Nolan Art Prize exhibition at the Rodd Presteigne. About 50 international artworks were selected for the first Sidney Nolan Open exhibition. The exhibition runs from  until  11 July-4 October. I have long admired the expressive and innovative artwork of Sidney Nolan so I am pleased to be exhibiting at the Rodd where he lived and worked.

Mount Purgatory is a painting based on the journey of the soul. Dante arrives on the shore of Purgatory to ascend towards Paradise. There is an angel driving the snakes from the island in the shadow of the mountain. There are people struggling with their burdens of rocks. Some have lost their vision before they reach the gates. Beyond, the smoke fills the air and the souls travel through fire. Gluttons are eating their own tongues, and the trees have faces on them. A crack dominates the centre of the mountain which needs to be traversed. A figure dreams of Earthly Paradise. In a cloud cave he is cleansed and navigates his way to the summit through love.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

I am excited that my monoprint ‘Under the Table’ is in the Royal Academy Summer Show. ‘Under the Table’ combines magic and reality. The couple are trying to contact the spirit world through table tapping. The unseen forces which tilted the table are revealed to be the work of a child.

It is always special to have work in the RA summer show. The theme for 2026 was ‘interconnectedness’. the exhibition coordinator was Prof Ryan Gander OBE RA. My work hangs in room 7 which was hung by Eileen Cooper RA.

The Royal Academy Summer show runs from 16 June-23 August.

RSA Open Exhibition 2026. Icelandic Saga oil on canvas 100x120cm is at the Royal Scottish Academy from 9 May-14 June. I am pleased to have 2 artworks in the 200th annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Iceland Saga follows my journey on a tour of Iceland. Over lava fields, behind waterfalls, dancing on ice, descending lava tubes and disappearing into steam vents. This painting is a testimony to the geographical transformation of a place.

Icelandic saga can also be viewed in the RSA online exhibition here.

RSA Open Exhibition 2026. Breaking Ground animation will be screened for the first time at the Royal Scottish Academy open exhibition. I am pleased to have two artworks included in this 200th annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy this year.

In this stop motion animated charcoal drawing, a figure is breaking through rocks. Pushing obstacles aside, the unstable ground cracking underfoot, falling through the patterns of rock inscribed by time. Entombed, and then the spirit rises again and begins the journey of the soul. My daughter, Amy Lee Jefferis, helped to compose the soundtrack with me.

The exhibition runs from 9 May-14 June and can be viewed online at the RSA here.

Tony Viney Open exhibition has selected ‘View from a Bird Hide’, oil on hardback. The work will be on exhibition at Sandy Hill Arts  25/4/26 to 7/5/26.

‘View from a Bird Hide’ is based on a sketch of my son in the hide at Stoborough Heath watching Canadian Geese before they migrate. He left the nest for University last year.

It is painted on ‘The Art of Bird Photography’ by Hosking and Newberry.  It is one of the many bird books that my Father-in-law had in his collection.

I was awarded the FLOW headline commission for Dorset Arts weeks. I proposed to create a new map for the River Stour embellished with my observations and stories about the river. My inspiration came from William Hole’s map of Dorsetshire (1612) and Alice Oswald’s poem ‘Dart’ (2002).  The exhibition will take place in the Threshing Barn at Bere Marsh Farm during Dorset Art Weeks 23 May-7 June (venue 38).

I began to gather people’s connections to the River Stour and to create my own response, creating new stories for the river from childhood memories to sheltering wildlife. The Stour has enriched people’s lives for generations. From the source at Stour head flowing through clay and chalk to the sea at Hengistbury head. My intention is to highlight the positive effect that walking and drawing along the river can have on wellbeing. To celebrate the River’s right to flow clear and free into the sea.

Thank you to Bere Marsh Farm, Hall and Woodhouse Brewery, the Countryside Regeneration Trust and Dorset Visual Arts for awarding the Flow headline commission. Thanks to those who have shared their stories – for your support in creating this new river story with me.