ITHE North York Moors are the focus of two exhibitions in the area this Easter.

Light and Solitude on the Moors is the title of a series of dramatic panoramic landscapes by Chris Geall at Grosmont Gallery from tomorrow until April 15 (10am-5pm), which are the result of his disappearances into the deserted moors at dawn or dusk. They capture solitude and light.

This is the artist's first solo exhibition. Having been steered away from art as a child, he made a career in chemical engineering until a chance meeting with a potter led to him taking up ceramics and painting, and eventually to founding and running the Grosmont Gallery. Gradually, the need to paint full-time became more imperative, and he sold the gallery.

"I appear to have been born with both the desire and the ability to paint and cannot now imagine doing anything else," he said.

What he likes is the constant search for the ellusive view and the moment when the light is just right, followed by the mad scramble to get it down on paper and fix the scene in his mind. "I prefer to work on larger canvases because they make it easier to capture the scale of a scene," said Mr Geall, who now lives at Ruswarp.

His exhibition will comprise about 20 large-scale oils and ten smaller pictures, most of the moors, including the one above of Egton.

Two other artists showing pictures of the North York Moors over the holiday period are Ken Charlton, whose watercolours are on exhibition under the title Lasting Impressions at Sutton Bank Centre until Tuesday, and James Haggath, who is showing Landscapes of the North York Moors, in watercolours and acrylics, at the Moors Centre in Danny until April 3.

Said Mr Haggath: "My work reflects the great diversity of beautiful landscapes in the North York Moors, from rugged moorland to coastal seascapes. I have painted everywhere from Helmsley to Scarborough in all weathers and throughout the seasons, including during our recent winter snow."

Opening times at both centres are from 10am-4pm, and admission is free.