A FORMER university professor had combined his fascination with Hollywood and love of painting in an exhibition in America this summer.

John Tierney will see around 20 pieces of his work exhibited at the Gallery Brown in Los Angeles in June.

Originally from Accrington, the 71-year-old took up painting full-time seven years ago.

In 2012 the father-of-three's first solo exhibition was at the British designer Paul Smith's store in LA.

Mr Smith used one of Mr Tierney's paintings as the image for a limited edition silk scarf.

The former criminology professor's artistic career snowballed and his work quickly appeared in galleries in London, New York and Santa Monica.

The former Holy Family Secondary Modern pupil said the exhibition focuses around the landscape of the Californian city, which is the theme of the majority of his work.

He said: "My work is representational. I want to paint what is there, or what people think that's what the place looks like.

"I try to provoke a cultural understanding of what the city looks like, we all carry around with us in our heads a particular understanding with places before we go to them.

"I love LA, especially the light, it gives a great look to the city. It's a fitting place for my paintings to be hung.

"My particular understanding with LA, in particular Hollywood, came through the lens of the film industry.

"So I had effectively been brought up in Hollywood and in Accrington because I watched so many films as a child.

"After the Paul Smith exhibition I had a lot more people asking for my work and galleries started asking to show my paintings.

"I'm very excited to have my work in Gallery Brown, it's a great place which has held lots of good pieces in the past."

The father-of-three, who grew up in Accrington but now lives in Durham, recreated the famous Hollywood sign with the town he was born in.

Mr Tierney said: "At first this was a quirky idea but it represented putting Hollywood into Accrington and bringing the two together.

"I had an image of America before I went but now my understanding has changed and I want to evoke a cultural understanding in other people with my work.

"I now know it can be a far from glamorous place. "

The exhibition will open on Friday, June 9.