A Lake District exhibition which features a collection oil paintings of all 214 Lake District peaks has been extended.
Painting the Wainwrights is on display at the Old Courthouse Gallery in Ambleside.
Created by artist and fell runner Victoria Rose Miller, the show was originally scheduled to close on October 3 but has been extended until October 19.
Ms Miller, who lives in the Lake District, said: “I work predominantly in oil, painting the landscape as I experience it on my travels by foot over the fells.
“I am passionate about capturing the power and beauty of nature through art and I hope my work reflects my love of the Cumbrian landscape.
“After a shock thyroid cancer diagnosis in my early thirties, I decided life was too short not to follow one’s dreams and took a leap of faith, leaving a stable career in marketing to pursue art.
“I wanted to do something special to celebrate what will be five years post-diagnosis and Painting the Wainwrights was the perfect fit – a personal challenge which combined both my love of being on the fells, with my love of painting them.”
Each painting in the collection represents one of the 214 ‘Wainwrights’—the Lake District fells described in Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, first published in 1955.
Completing all 214 peaks has become a long-standing ambition for walkers and runners alike.
The exhibition features both single-fell portraits and sweeping panoramas, each capturing a view that resonated with Ms Miller during her time exploring the fells on foot.
Paul and Caroline Jones, owners of the Old Courthouse Gallery, said: “We are delighted for Victoria that she has been able to complete such a major artistic and personal challenge in painting all the 214 Wainwrights.
“The overall effect is visually stunning, showing the fells in all their glory across all four seasons.
“Visitors to the gallery have been amazed by the exhibition.
“Many are visibly moved as the paintings take them back to their own time on the same fells.
“Victoria’s passion for fell running and painting shines through her artwork.”
Ms Miller was raised in South Africa and trained under the late Francois Visser.
She sold her first painting at the age of 14, before being represented by renowned galleries in her late teens and early twenties.
Her early work focused on the dramatic African landscape, but she settled permanently in the Lake District in 2018.
She has completed several of the region’s classic fell races, including the Lake District Mountain Trial, Wasdale Horseshoe, and Borrowdale fell race.
She has also supported other runners attempting to break the continuous Wainwrights completion record—currently held by John Kelly at five days, 12 hours, and 14 minutes.
In the exhibition, Ms Miller blends Wainwright’s inspiration with her own experience of the fells, offering both familiar and new perspectives on the landscape.
The gallery owners believe the full collection will not be displayed together again.
Mr and Mrs Jones said: “This will be the only time the collection will be shown in full, and we hope that the extra time will allow more visitors the opportunity to come and enjoy, along with securing their own piece of the collection should their favourite still be available.”
The exhibition is located at the Old Courthouse Gallery, Market Place, Ambleside.
It will remain open until October 19.
For more information, visit oldcourthousegallery.com or email gallery@ocg-arts.com.
