Last month, we chatted to Billie Jo English, a local tattoo artist and painter, who has channelled her experiences travelling the world into an inspiring array of artwork.

Now, her latest project has been featured in the fourth International Contemporary Art Fair in Tangier, Morocco, which is the result of a collaboration between the Association Plume d'Afrique (APA) and the Swiss Event Art Connection agency.

The exhibition, entitled Amal ('Hope'), involved artists from around the globe, whose contributions display a range of subjects and styles, uniting different peoples and cultures in a year that has kept us all apart.

For obvious reasons, this year's International Contemporary Art Fair was developed as a virtual event, with the organisers explaining: "Virtual may not be the ideal solution for artists, but it is a very interesting new experience to develop."

The exhibition is available to view on the Association Plume d'Afrique's YouTube channel.

Billie joins artists from 20 countries, including Morocco Tunisia, Greece, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Germany, Finland Nigeria and Spain.

Her exhibited piece is from her colourful Geisha collection, part of which is currently hanging in her Q Bee Studios 44 tattoo parlour on Main Street.

Painted almost entirely with her bare hands and in a matter of hours, Billie's Japanese lady is simultaneously delicate and bold, full of intricate detail and shades of expression.

"I took an interest in geishas after researching Japanese art with my son," said Billie. "A geisha, which translates to English as "performing artist" or "artisan", is a high-class professional and traditional female entertainer in Japan trained in various forms of art."

Billie added that she soon "fell in love" with creating Geisha figures, finding herself fascinated by their sense of quietness and melancholy.

She is still working on her Japanese collection, adding new pieces as she experiments with different forms and colour palettes.

With lockdown restrictions having forced her to temporarily shut up her studio, Billie has now busied herself customising different pieces of clothing and furniture, with impressive results!

If you like what you see and would like Billie to do something similar for you, you can get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.

To see more of Billie's work, you can scroll through the photo gallery at the top of this page.