You might not be able to travel abroad just yet, but with the help of the Association of Animal Artists' Spring Exhibition at Castle Park Arts Centre you can still journey through all the rich variety of Earth's animal kingdom, from Britain's meadows and forests to the jungles and savannahs of Asia and Africa.

Celebrating all walks of animal life, from the smallest of insects through to the largest of mammals, the Spring Exhibition conjures a whole world of characterful creatures for visitors to explore.

We love Chris Beesley's commanding big cat paintings, whose intricate textural details create an almost photographic depiction of spots, stripes, whiskers and fur.

From these big cats we turn to a more familiar feline variety, in Eunice M Knott's 'Essence of Siamese' trio of ink paintings. Here, Knott's stripped-back colour palette and smooth lines offer a wonderfully expressive and graceful portrayal of a pet cat in various postures of quiet contemplation.

When it comes to cats, elegance goes hand in hand with insolence, and that is exactly what is reflected in Pollyanna Pickering's amusing painting, 'Dinner Service', which shows a fluffy feline reclining serenely among an arrangement of prize porcelain!

Pickering's displayed work also includes 'The Poppy Field', in which a sunken field mouse nest sits delicately amongst the rushing nod of grasses, poppies and daisies.

Keeping a beady eye on these little creatures are Alex Fleming's arresting kestrel and goshawk, whose soft, textured feathers are so lifelike it is hard to believe that they were fashioned by a colouring pencil!

And these beautiful pieces are not all: with work hailing from a wide range of different artists, styles and media, the Spring Exhibition is a delight for the senses.

From the yellow fuzz of bumble bees and the scaly sheen of fish, to the soulful meditation of great apes and the nutty browns of our local woodland wildlife, there is so much for the whole family to see and enjoy.

The exhibition opened today (Tuesday) and will run until Saturday 15 May.

All of the works on display are for sale, with a proportion of the proceeds going to The Cinnamon Trust, the national charity for the elderly, terminally ill and their pets.

You can find out more about the Association of Animal Artists on their website.