ARTIST Malcolm Cudmore has had his picture Good Luck Cork selected as one of only 24 works to be exhibited in the 2011 World of Coloured Pencil exhibition.

Originally created as an image for the family “change of address” card, following his recent relocation to Bungay from Lancashire, the picture shows a close-up of a champagne cork with a coin inserted in it.

Malcolm said: “Although we’re not especially superstitious, we have a family habit of keeping champagne corks following new year and other celebratory toasts with a silver coin inserted. Some people consider this a kind of good luck charm. They are all over our bookshelves. We can’t seem to break the habit.”

The World of Coloured Pencil exhibition takes place from next Saturday until June 25 at the Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, which is on the site of the original Derwent Pencils Factory and is open to all members of the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society.

The museum is celebrating its 30th birthday with a huge artcraft event over the bank holiday weekend.

“As a freelance artist, I have been booked by the museum to demonstrate and lead workshops there for the last two years. I had already been booked to attend the birthday weekend to demonstrate my art techniques and having one of my pictures in this prestigious exhibition is a real bonus.”

Malcolm has recently joined the Black Dog Arts Group in Bungay and is taking part in the group’s Garden Arts Trail on June 18 and 19. He will be painting, drawing and showing some of his work in the grounds of Holmwood Care Home on Upper Olland Street.

One of his other coloured pencil works was the winner of the Preston Open exhibition in 2009 – chosen by the sponsor from more than 600 paintings, drawings and photographs and last year his image of Ashness Bridge, near Derwent Water in Cumbria, was chosen by Derwent to feature on all the packaging for their artist pencil range.