Graham Foster won this year's Charman Prize and said: "I was over the moon to win."

And it was a nice verification of the direction his paintings are headed.

"I'll still juggle the Bermuda influenced painting with the other styles of painting I do, mainly because they have a broader appeal," he said.

"Ideally, in the future I'd like to continue to make a living from my art. I've been very lucky, as how many people get a chance to turn a passion into a career?"

The competition, named after benefactor Derek Charman, saw most of the Island's foremost artists turn their hands in a most diverse way.

"I think every artist on the Island came out of the woodwork for the Charman Prize 2009, so I knew there would be some serious competition.

"I felt comfortable with my entry, as I'd finally begun to develop a personal style, fewer derivatives from other artists' work.

"I'd also done a large amount of prep work, painting at least 20 different versions in miniature, which is another habit I've picked up from doing the mural."