Chris Cyprus, an artist whose work is familiar around the area, is closing his chapter at Woodend Mill in Mossley with a final home exhibition after two decades based there.

He has been based on the third floor of Mill 1 at the mill since 2004. The Dawn of Summer exhibition features around 25 paintings and is deliberately intimate, with the works sharing a similar colour palette.

Chris sees the exhibition as a reflection of where he is in his own career. "I think it's similar to where I am in my career; it's like a new dawn," he said. "I can see the light on the other side of it. I just have to go with the flow and adapt to the changes like I've always been, looking for new avenues and platforms, so to speak."

There is also a practical reason for the move, one that puts his old building skills back to use. "I'm going to build a garden room and have that as a studio, hopefully soon enough," he added. "I'll use my old talents from my building trade to build my own studio in the garden. It will be sad to leave, It's been my second home for 20 years."

He said he was a big part of the furniture and the place was a big part of him, including its ethos and vibe.

His connection with the mill stretches back much further, to childhood nostalgia. "I remember as a child I used to walk past here on my way to school every day," he said. "But then it was a daunting old mill. I always thought, 'Oh God, I hope I never have to work in that mill'... and here I am."

A career in the building trade never foreshadowed a path in the creative arts. In 1998, a back injury following heavy groundwork changed the direction of his life entirely. "It was the first time I picked up a brush," Chris recalled. "As I was in recovery, that's when it just started. I thought, 'I'm pretty good at this.'"

His early work included watercolours, some of which can still be found in pubs around Saddleworth, including The Roaches Lock Inn in Mossley. Chris continued working in and out of the building trade while developing his artistic style before taking the studio at Woodend Mill in 2004. He said: "I guess that's when I became a professional artist."

The surrounding Saddleworth landscape provided endless inspiration. "When I first moved in here, I started painting all the local trees on the canal," he said. "I've always been drawn by nature as an inspiration, and you don't have to look far. It's everywhere here."

The art world has changed considerably during Chris's time at Woodend. Brexit had a significant impact on his European trade, with many of his clients across Europe and America disappearing. Rising living costs have also affected his predominantly older clientele, leaving less financial freedom for people to collect and invest in art. "The cost of living has basically put an end to it," Chris said. "But I'll continue painting. Nothing will stop me. I'm just going to relocate my studio and downsize and then evaluate where the art world will be going."

He is working on a proposal with Northern Rail which could see his artwork displayed at railway stations between Manchester and York. "I am going to be busy for at least 10 years just doing that," he said. "I'll always be here, I'll always be an artist."

In December, he will also show Edge of the City at Salford Art Gallery, a collection spanning eight years of capturing different viewpoints around Manchester.

For now his attention is on The Dawn of Summer. "This is the last opportunity that you're going to get to come and have a visit and have a look at the gallery and the studio."

The Dawn of Summer opens at Woodend Mill on October 10 and runs for two weeks until October 24, Thursday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm.