A young artist from Dorchester is exhibiting his work until Saturday, June 6 – and we urge you not to miss it.

Thomas Hardye pupil Lucas Greenfield is just 14, but you would never know by looking at his paintings, which display a distinctive style and a level of humour and perception beyond his years. His art is on display at Vinyl Van in Brewery Square as part of Dorset Art Weeks, which run until Sunday, June 7.

Lucas started painting in earnest aged nine, during the pandemic. Confined to the house he shares with his parents and brother in Dorchester, he started producing large artworks – one of which, Homeless Man, was selected by the Royal Academy for the Young Artists’ Summer Show – an online, permanent collection.

Lucas appeared on TV in 2023 after being selected from national submissions as one of three artists to compete in the portrait category of BBC’s Britain’s Best Young Artist. He was again recognised by the Royal Academy in 2025, for his oil painting Recollection.

His artwork, which is notable for its vivid colours and distortion of the human face, has sold internationally and can be found in homes in Australia, Brazil, Canada and the USA.

“I get a lot of inspiration from music, from jazz album covers in particular,” he said. “I am really interested in black culture, particularly Jamaica. Miles Davis is the only actual person I’ve ever painted, though it’s more his pose that is
recognisable. All my other paintings are just people from my head.”

Lucas’s favourite artist is Basquiat, who paints portraits based on African tribal masks. He also draws inspiration from hip hop, notably the controversial rapper Kanye West, who often threads jazz samples through his tracks – all roads lead back to jazz in some way, after Lucas was introduced to the genre early by his grandfather.

Lucas has some big plans for the future including learning to scuba dive and going on a school trip to Tanzania – sales of his artwork will partly fund the trip. Ultimately, he hopes his future will involve travelling the world as an artist.

“I feel like I’m constantly improving,” he said. At home, he shares a large shed with his brother – the pair have very different interests, with Lucas’s art studio on one side and his brother’s electronics the other.

Dad Joe said: “We don’t have anyone artistic in our close family. I don’t know where Lucas’s talent has come from. But it has been fascinating to watch his style changing over the years. Every so often he produces a piece that makes us realise his style has taken a new turn.”