Darlington couple, Robert and Susan Hamilton, open a new art gallery in Harrogate this weekend which will appeal to collectors of contemporary pictures.

It will also provide leading artists in the region with another outlet for showing their work.

The Gillis-Browne Gallery occupies 1,000sq ft on part of the ground floor and all of the first floor above the fashion house, Susan Gillis-Browne, which has operated in Parliament Street for about ten years.

The gallery will show original contemporary paintings with an emphasis on medium to large works that have dramatic impact, in styles ranging from abstract expressionist landscapes to impressionist still lifes and dynamic figure studies.

The opening exhibition comprises works from a cross section of artists who will feature during the coming year. They include several artists well-known in the North, such as Peter Hicks, who lives and works on the North York Moors, Lesley Coates and her husband, Ken Jones, who live in Leyburn, and the Darlington potter, Jenny Morton.

"The gallery is a natural extension for our business," said Susan Hamilton.

"Fashion and art are integral to the quality of modern life. Colour, contrast, style and design all have far reaching effects on our emotions and well-being."

She and her husband recently moved the clothes-making part of their fashion business to their home town of Darlington, and this created a space in the building which they saw as ideal for exhibiting pictures.

Mr Hamilton has a BA in fashion and textiles from St Martin's College of Art in London and a degree in combined studies specialising in art history. He and his wife have always been passionately interested in art, and feel there is a need for more exposure for contemporary artists in Yorkshire.

The opening takes place tomorrow and on Sunday, and will be attended by some of the artists exhibiting. Wine and canaps will be served.

The Gillis-Browne Gallery is located at 44 Parliament Street, Harrogate, telephone 01423 568346.