Born in Leeds 1967, Sarah obtained a 1st class degree at St Martins, Lancaster in 2004 and continues to work in paint and print while lecturing part time. Sarah lives in Lancaster and is a founding partner of Bellwood and Wright Fine Art.

"My work began as largely figurative, but over time a passionate relationship with the medium itself developed, and the need to possess and control it moved my paintings into the purely abstract. As my work has matured a vocabulary of shapes has begun to emerge from the abstract, creating a visual landscape which, for me at least, has begun to rediscover figurative or representational qualities.

Continually drawing, both from life and sketching landscapes, feeds my studio based work with abstract shapes, lines and scratches made in charcoal, ink and paint. These in turn feed my paintings. My experience in printmaking, including three years in a non-taught printmakers workshop at Cumbria College of Art and Design, has also influenced my painting to the extent that they are built up in layers like multiple plates."

My work explores my relationship with and to the landscape. It is inspired by places I have visited and my home environment of Alston Moor. My paintings are a response to the landscape rather than a representation of it and are made in layers, often incorporating organic materials and fragments of canvas that has previously been left outside, using the marks made by soil, water, animals and vegetation as a stimulus. Creating interesting textures and a sense of space in the paintings is important to me and it is these concerns which drive the painting process.

Born in Manchester in 1947, John studied Fine Art at Reading. He has had numerous exhibitions including London, Tokyo and Vancouver.

He admits to being a fan of Blackpool football club, and lives and paints in the Eden Valley, Cumbria.

Born in 1963. Studied at Luton University, and The University of Central Lancs in science and homeopathy respectively, before turning to Fine Art. She is at present studying at the University of Central Lancs on a BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree course.

Exhibitions include a group exhibition at Karen Taylor Contemporary Art in London, Maiden Bridge Arts Centre, Tatham, an international group exhibition of artists from England, Finland, Sweden and Norway at Ornskildsvik in Sweden and The Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston.

Information about this artist will follow.

Debbie was born in Reading 1972 and lives in York.

1991-1992 York College of Further and Higher Education
1992-1995 Bretton Hall College BA(Hons) Fine Art

"My passion for landscape was cemented during my Fine Art degree course studying at Bretton Hall College, a former stately mansion, that is now part of Leeds University. The College painting studios were located within landscaped grounds, yet bounded by the major industrial northern cities of Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield and Barnsley. This brought an awareness of both the aesthetic and social realities of the environment that we occupy and the necessity for the artist to acknowledge them."

Sue loved painting and drawing from a very early age. Since 1988, after a combined career of raising a family and teaching, she has devoted time to her own work. Her initial qualification in graphic design has been valuable in acheiving balance and proportion in her subsequent works, which over the years have shown a great variation in both subject matter and media.

She has had work exhibited and sold in The Royal Watercolour Society, London, Manchester Academy, Laing competition, together with private art galleries and local exhibitions.

Sue Moffit is based near Corbridge in Northumberland. Exhibitions include; Fifiefofum Gallery, Northumberland; The Barker and Stonehouse Art Prize 2003 and The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle. She has work in private collections throughout the Uk and abroad.

"I am a farmer's daughter, bought up on a large dairy farm, and have lived in the country all my life. I am at home in the countryside and therefore my art reflects this rural ethos. My concerns involve the landscape, and all that encompasses. My inherent love of animals and wildlife is what drives the motivation to paint at the present time".

Born in Felixstowe, Suffolk in 1954, Chris has been painting professionally since 1980, beginning with house portraits, specialising lately in landscape, architecture and interiors. He lives with his wife and family in Weardale, Co. Durham

His exhibitions include Grey College Durham; Bowes museum, Barnard Castle; Cassian Gallery, Lincoln; Quaker Gallery, London.

His paintings are in private collections in this country and abroad including Grey College, University of Durham; Marathon Oil East Brae Platform; Durham TEC hospitality room Durham C.C.

Rosemary lives and paints in Appleby, Cumbria.

1960-1965 Liverpool College of Art
1965-1966 Liverpool University

She has had numerous exhibitions, amongst them The woodlands Gallery London 2001, The Brewery Arts centre Kendal 1999, The Orrell Arts Centre Liverpool 1997, The Royal Scottish Academy 1997.

Rosemary has won various awards including:

1998 prize winner, Dumcroon Arts Centre, Wigan
1997 finalist cover competition, artists magazine U.S.A
1997 finalist, the fish publisher's art prize, Eire

"The type of imagery that I respond to is interiors and still life devoid of the figure. It is hoped that by removing any physical human presence in the work their aura is intensified rather than diminished. Though painted in a traditional manner I hope my paintings address issues such as what values we put on representations of our environment both in terms of narrative and formal concerns."

Born in Colne, Lancashire in 1948, studied at Burnley and Canterbury Colleges of Art. After teaching art at the Manchester Grammar School, he became a full-time painter in 1980.

He has exhibited extensively in Britain and abroad, featuring several times in the John Moores (prizewinner 1978), The National Portrait Gallery and the Irwin Gallery, Sydney, Australia.

He combined painting with being a professional musician for many years and has worked on numerous combined arts projects with dancers, musicians and performing artists. Since 1980 he has worked as artist in residence in schools, colleges, galleries, libraries and other community spaces throughout the country.

He occasionally undertakes commissioned work and is represented in The Royal Collection, Windsor; The National Portrait Gallery; The House of Commons and private collections of the Prince of Wales.

John Sibson lives in Cumbria having spent his youth in the north of England, earlier in Westmorland and later on Tyneside. An earlier career in mining and quarrying took him to North Wales, Northern Ontario and the Rockies of BC in Canada, the Highlands of Scotland and then Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. It was here that he took up watercolour painting and quickly began to make a name with his distinctive style. He soon had a number of one man and shared exhibitions in the Yorkshire area, and became an elected member and subsequently Chairman of the Yorkshire Watercolour Society. This led to exhibiting pictures three times in the Houses of Parliament, and at other times in Westminster, and as far a field as Poland.

He now lives Cumbria with his wife Frances. John paints full time in his studio at Hilton near Appleby in Westmorland.

John's main subject matter has been the hills and dales of the North of England and the historic market towns and cities of the area. The portrayal of the buildings within their landscape is his particular speciality. More recently he has developed into marine art inspired by offshore sailing experiences and love of shipyards and this has resulted in having pictures accepted for recent annual exhibitions of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. An interesting part of his work covers industrial subjects, especially of mines and quarries and includes locomotives steam traction engines, vintage tractors and cars etc.

Paula's paintings are developed from direct observation of the landscape. Rich patterns and textures are enhanced by vibrant and lively colours, using a range of expressive watercolour, oils and pastels.

Her response to colour shows in her landscape paintings of the North West. New compositions have been developed that simplify and abstract the forms and recent visits to Silverdale and the Lake District have provided new interest.

Paula studied painting and printmaking in Southport, and obtained her art teachers certificate from London University. She taught at Southport College for two years before going on to study printmaking in Paris with S.W.Hayter. She travelled in Ireland, having a studio in Dublin before moving on to Edinburgh, where she painted and studied Scottish painting.

Her work has been purchased by private collectors in Britain and Ireland as well as by public galleries in Southport, Bolton and Birkenhead. In 1994 she started writing for 'The Artist' magazine, and her paintings have been reproduced in the art school series of books published by Dorling Kindersley. Her most recent publication was in the artists international, 2000.

Paula has had many exhibitions in the North West and has also contributed to mixed exhibitions at the Manchester Academy, Scottish Academy and in London at the Mall Galleries and Bankside Gallery. Her last solo exhibition was in 1999 at the Ebury Gallery in London. Her paintings have been exhibited during 2002 and 2003 at the Gold Gallery in Edinburgh during the festival and at galleries in the North West.

Rosie Wates was born in London. She has lived and worked in many different countries (Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, Portugal) and is now based near Kendal in Cumbria. She has work in private collections in this country and abroad.

A successful solo show at the Michael Naimski Gallery in London in 2003 was followed in May of 2004 with a solo exhibition at the Warehouse Gallery, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal. She has also participated in numerous group shows in the area since moving to Cumbria. Rosie lecturered in painting at St Martin's College, Lancaster from 1999 to 2003.

Gareth Watson lives in Cambridgeshire and works in watercolour, using rough sketches and photographs in developing semi- abstract pictures, which evoke mood and atmosphere rather than record topographical detail

The locations, which provide the inspiration for these paintings, have the element of solitude and are scattered throughout Britain and further a field. A feeling for ancient sires is another factor, as is a sense of order and balance that is almost architectural, and encompasses not only land but air and weather as well.

Sometimes it seems that this balance is so fine that the distinctions between land, air and water become blurred and begin to overlap. The resulting image show a timeless quality, capturing the distance which exists between the features of a landscape, rather than focusing on those individual features themselves.

Blocks and planes of soft, subtle colour blend and shift to reflect light and space. Mankind is absent from these pictures but the works of man - standing stones, churches, industrial ruins - become embedded in the landscape and provides a sense of place.

Gareth has exhibited at:

Heffers' summer exhibition, Cambridge
Bircham Gallery, Norfolk
Broughton House Gallery, Cambridge
The Heath, Ely