James Whistler, the self assured, affected and irreverent artist with a razor sharp wit is the subject of the Vectis Decorative and Fine Arts Society at the Quay lecture on 18th February.

Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers, including Oscar Wilde.

Vectis DFAS has secured the lecturer Douglas Skeggs, who studied Fine Art at Magdalene College Cambridge, and since 1980 has been a lecturer on the history and techniques of painting.

He has made several art documentaries and written and advised on many more. An accomplished painter in his own right, he has had three one-man exhibitions of his work. Douglas wrote the Omnibus programme about Whistler in 2014, so who better to talk the artist.