AN ART thief has targeted a St Albans gallery for the second time in a month. First a £200 seascape went missing from Original Canvases in High Street. Now a £300 canvas of a woman was stolen on Saturday. Ben Askem, who creates and sells his own artwork,

AN ART thief has targeted a St Albans gallery for the second time in a month.

First a £200 seascape went missing from Original Canvases in High Street. Now a £300 canvas of a woman was stolen on Saturday.

Ben Askem, who creates and sells his own artwork, said: "It was there at around 1pm but I noticed it had gone around 5pm as I was leaving the shop.

"It's one thing selling your art to someone who appreciates it and another thing completely when it is just taken. I can't understand why anyone would want to steal them as it's not like selling on a stolen hi-fi system or something more easy to get rid of."

The first picture to go missing was a seascape around 24 inches by 24 inches in deep blues and white.

The latest is of a figure of a woman approximately 30 inches by 20 inches and was painted in brown and cream oils.

Anyone with any information about these paintings is asked to contact Ben on 01727 855008.