Four centuries ago it was a refuge for the Covenanters but now its sleepy streets are home to a thriving artistic community which has nurtured the likes of writers Alan Grant and Rumer Godden, Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos, and even Joanna Lumley.

Galashiels-born artist Melville Brotherston is among the many drawn by the remoteness and tranquillity of the tiny village, but now he's making a return to the Borders for a solo exhibition at the Pennel Gallery in Peebles this month.

A Return To The Borders is a collection of Melville's recent work inspired by his experiences in the north of Scotland. "Painting is about colour and its effect on landscape," the full-time artist and tutor explained. "I've spent a lot of time visiting places like Cape Wrath, Loch Torridon, Loch Arran and Mull, and my work has become more expressive, and there's more emphasis on colour.

"I'm interested in the drama of mountains and the sea, and the landscape of the west coast and Highlands is perfect for exploring that, much more dramatic than Moniaive where I live."

And if it's drama he's after, he doesn't have to look too far. In fact, it was a major battle with cancer that in 1985 saw Melville retire from his position as assistant director of education in Dumfries and Galloway to pursue his art full time.

Then, he explains, just a few years later, he lost an entire collection to a rogue dealer who disappeared with around 30 of his paintings following exhibitions in Lyon, Paris and New York.

The agent died three years later but Melville's paintings were never recovered.

"Gutted" by the loss but determined to carry on, the Borders artist returned to his art and continued to exhibit across Scotland.

Shows with the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts and The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour have been among the highlights, but he jumped at the chance to bring his latest work back to his homeland, where previous exhibitions have included the Canongate in Jedburgh, the Reiver Gallery in Galashiels and the Waterside in Peebles.

The Pennel Gallery exhibition, of 25 oil, watercolour and mixed media paintings, marks a welcome return for Melville, who was president of the Studio Art Club in Galashiels for 10 years.

"The Borders was hugely inspirational for me as an artist," he continued. "The area around Gattonside and the Tweed used to influence my work a great deal."

A Return To The Borders runs at the Pennel Gallery in Peebles until Sunday, May 18.