In keeping with its latest exhibition which celebrates our flora and fauna, Saltbox Gallery in Helmsley is utilising all its available space.

THE latest exhibition at a North Yorkshire gallery aims to combine art inside the home with beautiful things from outside. Helmsley’s Saltbox Gallery and Workshop is holding its summer House and Garden Exhibition – Flora, Fauna and Form – until September 4, making full use of the Castlegate gallery’s indoor and outdoor exhibition space.

“The show has developed out of the interest in gardening and the forms of sculpture and types of materials that can be included in a contemporary garden setting,” says Louise Dwyer, a jewellery maker who owns the gallery with husband Matthew, a blacksmith.

“We are told it is probable that you can discover a new species in your garden if you get down to insect level. I liked the idea of taking a view of this and developing the theme of the show to incorporate fauna and flora in ceramic, wire, jewellery and print form.

“We will have some large pieces of sculpture and also some smaller ones, such as jewellery forms. The wall and three-dimensional interior work will be a reflection of the outdoor details, such as birds, plants and animals. We will also have a large, hand-made dining table in elm with forged legs by Matthew, which will be for sale in the gallery.”

The Dwyers are welcoming several artists for the first time as they continue to champion fine art and the best in contemporary handmade craft by leading artists and makers, both from North Yorkshire and further afield.

Debut artists at Saltbox this summer include Bren Head, who retired to a cottage near Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, after a career in the catering trade. Her paintings, on reclaimed slate and tiles, use the natural erosion and weathering and faults within them to suggest the building up and wearing away of surfaces over time.

Another first-time exhibitor at the Saltbox is Yorkshire-based mixed media artist Samantha Bryan. Inspired by Victorian gadgetry and invention, she creates suspended, wall-mounted and free-standing sculptures from a combination of wire, leather, found objects and collected materials. Her unusual and magical sculptures depict the “everyday life” of fairies.

Harrogate-born landscape painter Emerson Mayes’s debut showing at Helmsley comes hard on the heels of a decision taken to put his brushes aside and concentrate on his first love – drawing. The former Young Artist of the Year took this process a step further, honing his skills as a printmaker, and took on the challenge of a completely new subject – wildlife.

Chris Moss, also from Harrogate, creates stunning life-size animal sculptures in wire.

Louise and Matthew will have a selection of their own work on display and are always available to discuss private commissions. As part of the exhibition, Matthew will complete a forged metal sculpture during the North Yorkshire Open Studios Weekend on June 11 and 12, which will be for sale. The demonstration will take place in the courtyard garden. On the same day, local beekeeper Marcus Cordingley will erect a bee observatory and have products from his hives for sale.

• The gallery is open Monday to Wednesday, from 10am to 3.45pm, and from Thursday to Saturday, from 10am to 4.30pm. More details can be found at saltboxgallery.co.uk, by emailing louise@saltboxgallery.co.uk, or by calling 01439-770881. The Saltbox Gallery & Workshop, 2 Castlegate, Helmsley, YO62 5AB.