Acclaimed as one of this country’s “most compelling contemporary painters” and renowned for his generosity toward environmental causes, it is no surprise to learn that Kurt Jackson is donating the proceeds from the sale of three paintings in his latest exhibition to Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth.

The Dart, which opens at the Lemon Street Gallery in Truro on Saturday, features almost 120 works devoted to the majestic Devon river.

Known for his fondness of theme paintings, ranging from those relating to Geevor Mine and Delabole slate quarry to the Solent and the River Avon, this exhibition has particular meaning for him because it pays tribute to and celebrates the memories of his father.

“All rivers have their own inherent narratives,” he says. “But the Dart tells a special tale because I grew up listening to stories my father told me of the war years he spent within its banks as an evacuee from the London Blitz, a time when the Dart and Dartmouth were alive with servicemen and women and life for a youngster was one big Boy’s Own Adventure.”

But what effect did his “father’s estuary” have upon his son the painter?

“After a brief few years exploring and scribbling up and down the watercourse, I could see why a small London boy would find comfort and adventure in this paradise, removed from the horrors of war and the city,” he says. “But I also discovered that this Eden, the Dart, is not just extraordinarily beautiful, but that it is a meandering string of jewels, a chain of very special plant and animal communities, many that are now extremely limited in their habitats and distribution.

“It is a haven of biodiversity, with moorland and blanket bog, valley mire, acid grassland, ancient woodland, gorges, flower meadows, mudflats and marsh.”

With his customary energy and enthusiasm, skill and talent, he takes us along this 47-mile “string of jewels” the Dart makes from sea to source through Devon, in a collection of 117 paintings, not to mention some stoneware pots and a bronze sculpture that is as attractive as it is awesome.

Based near St Just in West Cornwall, Kurt is an “en plein air” artist who says there are three main factors that concern him when producing a painting.

Firstly, there is the experience of being in situ, the environment, nature, his involvement in his surroundings. Secondly, there is the mark-making, the surface, the painterliness of the painting, and thirdly there is the picture of the painting, the part that illustrates what is in front of him.

From such works as Agatha Christie’s Fine Trees and Greenways Evening Chorus And Oaks to Salmon Spawning Time and Estuary Silence, there is not only evidence of all three of these desired factors in all that Kurt Jackson does, but also of that indefinable tingle factor, the power and pizazz, that only he possesses and can impart to a painting.

Not to be missed, Kurt Jackson: The Dart continues at Lemon Street Gallery in Truro until October 6. Opening times are 10.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday. Admission is free. It is also worth noting that Kurt Jackson: A New Genre Of Landscape Painting, has just been published by Lund Humphries at £35.