THIS painting of Chappel Viaduct has won an artist £15,000.

WladyslawMirecki’s Viaduct and Tank Traps came first in the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize.

Mr Mirecki has passed the landmark at least twice a day for 29 years on his way to and from Chappel, where he lives.

He said: “People often ask why I paint so many winter scenes. This view is utterly obliterated by foliage in the summer despite the viaduct being just yards away.

“I’m also asked why I paint the viaduct so often. I can see it from my home.

The painting is as much to do about the elder tree and the metal fence as anything else. The tank traps, a remnant from the last war, are a prop for brambles, another subject with which I am fixated.”

Art critic Andrew Lambirth described Mr Mirecki as a master of watercolour. Mr Lambirth said: “The viaduct is brilliantly foregrounded by rusting railings, a gnarled tree, saplings and a tank trap being reclaimed by nature. This is a major work by an artist at the height of his powers.”

The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize is one of the most sought-after awards for artists in the UK. The winning works are on display at the Mall Galleries, London, until Saturday.