A self-taught artist is in the spotlight after being voted No. 1 at a local art festival.

Hospital worker Eugene Stovell won the People's Choice award at the Masterworks Art Festival which took place on Front Street last weekend.

Mr. Stovell's intricate pen and ink drawings of Bermuda landscapes and architectural scenes were chosen by the majority of the three thousand people who visited the outdoor exhibition.

Mr. Stovell has worked in the dietary department of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for 26 years, but has spent his evenings and weekends drawing.

Although he has never considered drawing full-time, he has been interested in art since he was three-years-old. Without any formal instruction, Mr. Stovell has developed his own technique.

When he spots a scene which appears challenging, he photographs it before trying to replicate the image on board.

"I do this because my work has to be done flat and working on an easel is too tedious,'' he said.

Mr. Stovell explained why he did not use colours in his work: "I like doing detailed work which I find is best done with a pencil or a pen,'' he said. And he tackles a variety of subjects.

"I am hoping to do some more cultural scenes. I am interested in what Bermudian people do,''he said.

Before the Masterworks Festival on May 31, Mr. Stovell had only shown his work in public a few times.

"I was never really interested in showing my work to anyone. It was only for my own consumption,'' he said.

MASTER SKETCHER -- Artist Eugene Stovell pictured with one of his drawings won the People's Choice Award at the Masterworks Art Festival last weekend.