AMANDA Harris was a “multi talented” artist, with a growing reputation as a sculptor, whose career was cut short when she was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 66.

She had a long and distinguished career as an artist, illustrator, set designer, cartoonist and painter. But it was her work as a sculptor which was the late flowering of her talent and creativity.

She was very active locally. She exhibited at Fisherton Mill Gallery in the ‘Art in the Family’ exhibitions, and regularly took part in the Wylye Valley Art Trail. She exhibited at many London galleries, as well as the Royal Academy summer exhibition and the RWA at Bristol. She found time to design and paint the theatrical sets for many of the productions at the Woolstore Theatre at Codford. She was an authority on 20th Century English art and a perceptive collector.

A student at Chelsea School of Art, she moved to Winchester when she married the late Paul Harris, the BBC broadcaster and news reader. Their two children, Kit and Jamie were at school in Winchester, both went to art college and are now developing careers in architecture and design and fine art and music.

Amanda was a lover of the Wiltshire landscape and it much influenced her work. After the death of her husband in 2005, she moved to her cottage near Chitterne Anstey where she set up her studio.

She remained positive, cheerful and determined to the end. She decided to make the most of what time she had left, particularly as an active participant in this year’s Wylye Valley Art Trail. Even after she had been discharged from Salisbury hospital in May, she managed to celebrate her 66th birthday and from her bedside organised and hosted a very successful exhibition (held with her brother Robert Stiby).

She died on June 25. Her funeral was at St Mary’s, Crawley, near Winchester and there was a memorial service at St Augustine of Canterbury Church, Upton Lovell on July 24.