Love dogs? Don't miss artist's account of current exhibition in Rugby

And high-profile contemporary painter and curator David Remfry will visit Rugby Art Gallery and Museum this weekend to talk about what inspired this work.

The 'in conversation with' event takes place this Saturday, April 1, with the Royal Academy of Arts member sharing the inspirations behind We Think The World of You, his exhibition currently on display at the venue.

The seeds for it were sown in New York, when he was resident at the iconic Hotel Chelsea's studio.

A fascination with the personal relationship between a dog and its owner saw him start work on a series of pencil and watercolour portraits, with actors such as Alan Cumming, Ethan Hawke and Susan Sarandon sitting for the artist.

The portraits explore the connection between dog owners and their canine companions, with the project later celebrated in the book - We Think The World of You, People and Dogs Drawn Together – published by the Royal Academy of Arts in 2015.

On Saturday, he will talk about the project with Jo Baring, director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art.

The event runs from 3pm to 4pm and tickets cost £5 for adults (students and under 18s free) and can be booked on the art gallery and museum website or by calling (01788) 533217.

The exhibition is on until Saturday, June 3, alongside David Remfry Selects - The Rugby Collection, featuring more than 60 works selected from the gallery's collection of modern and contemporary British art.

This includes pieces from Turner Prize winners Lubaina Himid and Gillian Wearing, plus prestigious works from artists such as Claudette Johnson, Paula Rego and Eduardo Paolozzi.

Remfry was born in 1942 and studied art and printmaking at the Hull College of Art.

Since 1973, he has exhibited at galleries and museums across the UK, Europe and the USA, and he was made an MBE in 2001 for services to British art in America.

He was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2006 and a decade later he was appointed professor of drawing at the Royal Academy Schools.

For more information about this and other events at the gallery and museum, go to: www.ragm.co.uk