Tomorrow is the start of the last weekend of the North Yorkshire Open Studio. (http://www.nyos.org.uk/Artist.aspx?id=115)

If a lot of people come round, it will be great. If they come round, it is because they are interested in art, and it’s great to talk about art and meet new people because I usually work on my own.

And if there are no visitors, then I will carry on painting Staithes. And if I finish it this weekend, then I can start on my new commissions! And it would be nice to have new work for the exhibition at the Coast Gallery in August. It is always quite exciting to start something new. A little bit daunting, due to the infinite possibilities, and the wish that it will be even better than before…

Staithes, painting in progress

I feel very lucky.

It’s that time of year again, when artists open their doors… We’ve all been busy preparing, and it starts tomorrow. If you’re in North Yorkshire, there will be an artist near you, as 131 artists have been selected this year, from Settle to Scarborough, Selby to Loftus. 9/10 June and 16/17 June, 10.30am to 5.30pm. (by appointment only on other days)  http://www.nyos.org.uk

Clothylde's studio.

Staithes No4, ink and watercolour on paper, 12x28cm. £175.

No4 of a series of 4 small ink and watercolours works. I am now painting a larger version in oils, 30x90cm. This might take some time…

Maybeck is… Maybeck is just a place. Not a village, a couple of farms. A quiet place. There’s a little car park, and then footpaths to some good walks and good views… When I was there it was sunny, and then dark clouds came from the east as the setting sun bathed the landscape in a golden glow. Soon after that, a shower of snow. Yorkshire.

Maybeck. 2012. oil on canvas, 50x70x4cm, £425.

Still drawn to the Bay, this is the beck, from Chapel Street, in acrylic inks. It will be exhibited in Pannett Park Art Gallery, from 19 May to 1 July, as part of the taster exhibition for the North Yorkshire Open Studios. (for more info on the exhibition, click here: http://nyos.org.uk/Events.aspx#exhibitions )

The beck runs between the houses, then disappears under cottages until it comes out from under the dock to run into the sea. It is said that in the old days, access to the beck from some cottages provided smugglers with an escape route when authorities came to call. I once dug the basement floor of one of those cottages, but didn’t find a tunnel to the beck…

Robin Hood's Bay Beck II. Acrylic inks on watercolour paper, 20x28cm, in 40x50cm frame, £150.

I’ve spent many years in Robin Hood’s Bay, and then for the last few years it was hard to go back there…there were so many memories. But time helps, and now I can go back, and I love the village for its picturesque allure. I have been working with ink, a piece of paper, a pen. As I did 30 years ago.

Laurel Inn, Robin Hood's BayRobin Hood's Bay