His oil painting on canvas depicts an iconic view of the Old Bridge in Berwick, looking over towards Bridge Street and Wm Cowe & Sons shop on West Street - a vantage point famously used by L S Lowry.

"I'm absolutely over the moon about winning the competition," said the 28 year-old from Spittal.

"It's made even more special because it was voted for by the public which means a lot of people liked what I produced. It's a really good feeling to know the gallery audience thought I did a good job."

Euan, who works as a customer service assistant at Berwick railway station, took two months to paint the winning piece, titled 'West Street View'.

He said: "I was looking to produce a new distinct view of Berwick, as there are so many picture postcard paintings of the town out there.

"I wanted to produce something that conjured up a different kind of feeling and shows a fresh angle to exaggerate some of Berwick's famous features."

Euan has been interested in art from an early age, he took the subject at GCSE and A Level and later went on to study public art at Edinburgh's Telford College.

He enjoys following the local contemporary art scene and is a regular visitor to the Gymnasium Gallery; in particular he admires the work of an artist simply called 'The Executioner'.

This only the second time he has ever exhibited his work in public, the first was in the same event last year.

That ended up with his submission 'Berwick Roof Tops' being purchased by Berwick Museum and Art Gallery - quite an achievement for an up and coming artist.

"Berwick is my home town where I've lived almost all of my life, a place with some beautiful and amazing views," says Euan. "As an artist you tend to paint what you know; and I hope people enjoy seeing Berwick through my eyes."

His painting was chosen amongst a selection of high quality artworks by 143 amateur and professional artists from across north east England and the Scottish Borders. In its first five weeks almost 1500 people visited the exhibition.

Second place went to Lizzie McCorquodale, of Cheswick, with 'Bad news for creels' and joint third were Irene Hilsdon, of Shilbottle, with 'Barn Owl - Silent Hunter' and Olivera Lomenech-Gill of Wooler with 'Pêcheur d'Islande, St Abbs'.

During the exhibition there have also been several school visits, where young people have enjoyed a tour of the gallery and taken part in workshops. At the end of the tour the young people were asked to vote for their favourite piece of work and the winner is Linda Scott Robinson of Mindrum with a piece called 'Spring'.

Matthew Walmsley, curator at the Gymnasium Gallery, said: "For the third year running the open exhibition has been a great draw for the Gymnasium Gallery.

"It not only showcases some of the region's top creative talent but also represents Berwick's cultural appeal as people show their support in numbers. We aim to build upon this success and look forward to our exciting programme for 2010, as the Gymnasium Gallery continues to prosper under the guidance of English Heritage."

The exhibition, which has been taking place for the past three years, is open to both amateur and professional artists and is one of the largest of its type in Northumberland.

It has offered audiences a diverse range of artworks from painting, sculpture and illustration to furniture, video, craft and design. People are now being given the opportunity to purchase the items on show.