The painting, which is in a realist style, shows the Knaresborough railway viaduct over the River Nidd viewed from the castle.

Crossing the bridge is the Scarborough Spa Express, pulled by the famous Union of South Africa, an A4 steam locomotive.

Richard painted it in 2008 and it has been chosen as one of the finalists out of around 1,500 entries from across the world for the International Artist magazine's Landscape Art Challenge No 55.

The bi-monthly magazine features the working methods and techniques of some of the best realist artists in the world.

Richard, of Tickhill, near Doncaster, said: “I am delighted to have been selected and I’m particularly pleased that they chose a scene of Yorkshire.”

Having had a passion for drawing and painting from a very young age, Richard has a Batchelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from Cambridge University.

He paints mainly with acrylics on canvas or board working in a realist style and paying meticulous attention to detail.

His slogan is “High Definition Art” with a primary focus on landscapes but he also paints still lifes and portraits and the effective use of light is a key ingredient to all of his work.