A NEW exhibition will showcase the work of three Otley artists who are all influenced by the Yorkshire landscape.

Jonathan Smith will be showing a range of landscape paintings, done in oil, that reflect his love and response to the local moors and Dales. He is a semi-professional painter who has exhibited occasionally in various art shows and has works in private collections throughout the country. These emotions are reflected in the photography of James Elkington. James is a professional photographer who excels in capturing the forms, light and mood of the Yorkshire landscape and sells his work internationally to private collectors and international magazines and newspapers. They will be joined by Steve Williams, an occasional printmaker, who uses linocut and woodcut techniques to produce dynamic images, that have been successfully exhibited and sold locally.

The idea for the exhibition first came about in mid-February.

Jonathan said: “I was approached by the owners of Mackenzie’s Smokehouse with a view to staging an exhibition of my work, after they had seen some of my paintings on local social media sites. I knew of the Smokehouse as a great retail outlet with a wonderful café but hadn’t realised that they had such a fantastic gallery space as well”.

“James and I had already been exploring the idea of a joint exhibition as our work and our approach to our art is so complementary, so this was the ideal chance to see if our work really would sit well next to each other in a single space. We later approached Steve as we thought his work provided a different approach to landscapes that we cannot capture in paint or by photograph”

Initially the exhibition was pencilled in for the end of April but had to be postponed due to Covid restrictions. Now with lockdown measures looking set to ease, the exhibition can take place. Whilst the delay was frustrating for all involved, it did allow all three to spend time getting more pieces together to be able to display and has allowed word to spread about the event.

Jonathan said: “All three of us have exhibited our work before, especially James, and it is always a thrill to see one’s work hanging in a space that is not your own studio. It really allows us to get a different perspective on our work and it is nerve-wracking to see what the public will make of it. But this exhibition is different for us because it is the first time we have all drawn our art together and shown it as a complete body of work. In a way, we will not really be able to see the outcome until all the work is finally hung, and that is very exciting”.

All three exhibitors will be present at various times on the opening weekend, to answer any questions that visitors may have about their work and their approach to their art.

The exhibition will open on Saturday, July 24 at 10am and will run for two weeks until Saturday, August 7. Mackenzie’s Smokehouse is on Hardisty Lane, Blubberhouses, LS21 2PQ.