Artist and author Jeff Doherty to hold exhibition at the Church Block Café, Eglinton

Mr Doherty will be talking to visitors, doing live paintings, selling and signing copies of his books - and drinking plenty of coffee.

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"They make the most delightful coffee and I don't function very well without my coffee fix," he said.

Mr Doherty's art is quite eclectic. Over the years, he has painted on stones, eucalypt, maple and silver birch leaves, velvet, glass, paper, shoes, and even cork. Some of his favourite painting mediums are watercolours, acrylics, oils and digital art.

Mr Doherty is a learning support officer at Eglinton Public School and one of his murals is mounted at the school.

"I use my interactions with the students at the school to inspire my work," he said.

"Some of this inspiration comes from seeing children who struggle, overcome their challenges, and some comes from overhearing snatches of humorous conversations that spark ideas for scenes in my books and stories."

Mr Doherty has released two illustrated junior novels, Paper Magic and The Guardians of St. Giles, with a third, Olivia Stone and the Call of the Carnival, scheduled for release in 2021.