Eighties TV personality Timmy Mallett has spoken of his love for Arbroath after taking artistic inspiration from a visit to the town.
Presenter-turned-artist Timmy was blown away by what he saw and said there is no more beautiful place on the planet than the Arbroath coastline on a gorgeous day.
The 56-year-old developed a love of painting from an early age and studied History of Art as part of his degree at Warwick University.
His oil paintings are now sought after by collectors in the UK and across the world.
A painting of the Bell Rock Lighthouse and Arbroath’s red cliffs are among at least 40 originals and limited edition prints which will feature in an exhibition of his work opening on Friday at Eduardo Alessandro Studios in Broughty Ferry.
Prices start from £1,100, rising to more than £4,000.
Timmy first fell in love with Arbroath while filming children’s TV show Wacaday in the town in the 1980s.
He has since returned with his brother Martin and decided to paint the Bell Rock and the town’s coastline after enjoying a sight-seeing boat trip.’Wild and wonderful’Timmy said: “We did some Wacaday filming in Arbroath and it was one of those wild and wonderful stormy days.
“If you want a storm you go to Arbroath and you get a proper one, and yet when you get a gorgeous day there is no brighter, finer, more beautiful place on the planet than your coastline.”
He added: “My brother Martin has Down’s syndrome and lives in Aberdeen and we were staying with Lorraine Kelly and her husband Steve in Broughty Ferry.
“Steve suggested taking a boat trip to the Bell Rock Lighthouse and it was an absolutely magnificent day and we sat there grinning as the wind was whipping round our ears.
“We got to the Bell Rock, which was surrounded by seals, and this big storm cloud followed us but as it moved around the light shone through it.
“I got some fabulous images to paint, knowing, as I am looking at this thing, that this is definitely going to be a painting, because it was just wonderful.”‘The smile is willing’Timmy said: “On the way back you come past the wonderful red cliffs of Arbroath, which for an artist is really startling and really stunning.
“It’s a top place and I got my smokies and took them home and I was also introduced to white pudding what a great thing to ask for when you get your fish and chips.”
Timmy said he loves coming to the north-east because of the scenery and the welcome he receives from the locals.
He said: “The smile is willing and you are warmly welcomed and that’s what I feel every time I am in the north-east, which is absolutely fantastic.”
Timmy said he is looking forward to Friday’s exhibition in Broughty Ferry, where he will be joined by Lorraine Kelly.
The pair worked on TV-am together in the ’80s and have remained friends.