The Great Northern Art Show: Show that brings out the best in the North

Wendy Orme, one of the founders of the annual exhibition, said at the time that she wanted the event to involve the whole of the city of Ripon.

Four years on, that ambition has been realised.

The show is in its ninth year and last year was all set for expansion out across the city. Previously, it had been held only in the grand surroundings of Ripon Cathedral.

"We were hoping to expand out of the cathedral last year, but with the state of the economy and the recession and everything, we decided to hang fire," says Orme.

"This year we have finally decided to go for it and the exhibition is being held at venues across the town."

The GNAS opened in 2001, although the idea to stage the exhibition began in 1999 when a group of people, led by John Lowry and including Wendy Orme, Brian Latty and Roger Dennis – who would later be replaced by David Page – decided that the city needed and deserved an art festival.

The residents of the city felt they deserved a big exhibition which would feature artists from around the area.

Wendy Orme says: "There are so many artists working in North of Yorkshire that we decided to bring them all together for a really strong exhibition.

"Since we started, the exhibition has expanded and we've found that artists from outside North Yorkshire have wanted to show their work here, so we've allowed people from across the North of the country to exhibit."

The city's cathedral remains at the heart of the GNAS, where a total of 35 artists are showing more than 200 paintings, while the work of other artists is scattered around 14 other venues.

The expansion has been achieved largely thanks to the increased number of volunteers – this year there are nine organisers – who have come on board to help make the GNAS a success.

Director and curator John Lowry has also led the way with a shake-up of the artists who are involved in the exhibition.

He says: "We made a change this year because of a need to keep the exhibition fresh and different. Some of us felt that loyalty to our respected artists was making the show predictable. Our policy has been to try to introduce 50 per cent of new artists to GNAS each year, but this year we decided that radical steps were required and this number has been significantly increased."

Mr Lowry added that while some of the artists who had enjoyed exhibiting there in the past were disappointed, he hoped audiences would be intrigued to "meet" new artists through their work.

The exhibition is funded by donations and sponsorship from businesses around the city, which helps to fund the 9,000 cost of the event.

Wendy Orme says: "We really do receive a lot of support from local companies. People recognise what an important thing

it is to bring people here to the city."

Bringing people to Ripon for the exhibition has also paid dividends for the building which hosts the GNAS. With the sale of each artwork at the exhibition, a percentage is paid to the organisers who then donate the majority of it to support the choral tradition of Ripon Cathedral.

"We have raised almost 60,000 for the cathedral, which is a fantastic amount over the past nine years," says Wendy Orme.

"It really is appreciated and helps to maintain the cathedral's very important choral tradition."

The GNAS will also be introducing photography workshops for the first time this year. There will be two one-day courses for adults at the Workhouse Museum on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 18.

Artists making a contribution

Artists exhibiting at this year's GNAS include:

Jane Fielder: On leaving school Fielder trained as a teacher in Dublin, before giving up her teaching career to pursue painting full-time. She studied at Farnham and Bradford and since 1999 has worked full-time as an artist. She now runs a gallery in Bingley.

Julia Potter: Largely self-taught, Potter never made it to art school. She started painting 25 years ago when she concentrated on botanical watercolours and traditional Dales scenes. She is now largely an expressionist who works in mixed media.

Michael Atkin: A printmaker who makes limited edition etchings,

lino prints and books from his Scarborough studio, Atkin's images are figurative, narrative and firmly located in the Yorkshire countryside (see above). Atkin established the private press Bracken Press in 1974 to publish his limited edition etchings, block prints and books.

Venues taking part in the exhibition around Ripon include Lockwoods Caf Restaurant, The Workhouse Museum, Great Northern Wines and Ripon Spa Hotel.

The GNAS opens today and runs until September 18. For full details of all artists and venues, log on to www.greatnorthartshow.

org.uk