AN artist who creates paintings of incredible detail on canvasses no more than three inches wide has been accepted as a member of a Royal Society.

Kate Green, who works from her home in Highgarth, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, started painting watercolours more than 15 years ago after being inspired by the artworks she saw in museums while studying for a degree in the history of art.

Although she started painting large on canvasses, Mrs Green gradually started to focus on smaller and smaller parts of her subject matter until she eventually turned to miniature paintings, which measure two-and-a-half inches by three inches.

Now, after five years of successfully submitting work, Mrs Green has been accepted as a member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculpters and Engravers, which was founded in London in 1895 and promotes the work of artists who create smaller scale artworks through annual exhibitions. Some of her most recent work, which includes still life pictures and botanical subjects, is to go on display at the Mall Galleries, in London, until October 23.

Mrs Green said: “Because we have a smaller space to work on, we miniaturists have to get a lot of drama on to the canvass, so I tend to use light to capture that interest. My art is not just a hobby, it’s something I am very serious about and I paint every day if I can.

“My work has been about trying to keep miniature painting alive and it’s starting to take off again. People are starting to collect miniatures again and once you have one miniature painting, people tend to like a few in a group.”

One of Mrs Green’s biggest supporters is her husband, Bill, who encouraged her to exhibit her work and submit it to the Royal Society.

She said: “To me, the painting is the big thing, and when it’s done I would be inclined to just think it’s either good or not good and hide it away, but Bill always gets me do something more with it, which is a good thing. He’s been a fantastic support.”

Some of Mrs Green’s miniatures are also on display in Finklegate Galleries, Finkle Street, Richmond, and Phillip Bastow’s Gallery, Reeth.