Vic Reeves puts 250 artworks on sale

Vic Reeves was in Folkestone to prepare the exhibition, which opens on Thursday

A collection of 250 artworks by comedian Vic Reeves is opening ahead of an auction he hopes will make some space at his Kent home.

Reeves is best known for TV shows Vic Reeves Big Night Out and Shooting Stars, but has said that he considers himself an artist before anything else.

"I think everything I do is art. I don't really differentiate between painting, acting or comedy," he said.

The exhibition, at The Grand on the Leas in Folkestone, runs to Saturday.

Reeves studied art at Sir John Cass College in Whitechapel, east London, and his work includes unusual self-portraits, quirky celebrity paintings, landscapes and distorted animal pictures.

"I think putting your imagination on canvas or a television screen is the same thing," he said.

"If you've got an idea you have got to have an outlet for it.

"So if it's painting, poetry, singing or acting it all comes out somewhere."

The comedian lives in Charing, near Ashford, with his wife Nancy Sorrell and their family.

He said selling the paintings would be like losing close friends.

"But if you have 250 friends you have to weed a few out, don't you?" he said.

The exhibition was organised with auctioneer and valuer Michael Hogben, from BBC TV show Bargain Hunt, who met Reeves when he was setting up a performance art piece in a local pub.

The art will be auctioned on Saturday with prices starting at £50.