WARWICK artist Dennis Hope will head to London with 60 works of art for his first overseas exhibition.

Mr Hope is originally from Salford in Manchester, England, and migrated to Australia in June, 1951.

He met his future wife Marj, who describes herself as a Mallee (Victoria) girl at Broken Hill in 1960.

She has been behind him all the way as he has made art into more than a hobby.

His cousin Arnold Cooper has arranged an exhibition of Mr Hope's work at Southfields Gallery, only 10 minutes by car from the Wimbledon tennis courts in London.

"Arnold lives next to the gallery and plans to promote the exhibition through a free paper distributed to every Australian in London," Mr Hope said.

"I have done posters for cafes, coffee shops and architectural institutions in the London area."

He first drew at the age of 13 at high school and reckons it took six to eight hours to draw each of the 60 pieces in the exhibition.

Mr Hope is passionate about art and is keen to push state and federal governments to provide more encouragement to artists.

"There is a long wait to get an exhibition in the gallery in Warwick," he said.

The exhibition in London will include a drawing of the Abbey of the Roses, the former Warwick Convent.

London Exhibition

Artist: Dennis Hope, Warwick

Opening: May 29 by Dennis Hope

Venue: Southfields Gallery, London

Artwork: Sixty pieces, watercolours to colonial architecture from all Australian states

Travel: Artwork expected to arrive in London today