A WENSLEYDALE artist has exhibitions in York, Leeds and London over the next two months, with the last to be opened by the Prince of Wales.

Tim Slatter, an etcher whose studio is in Askrigg, starts exhibiting tomorrow at the Pyramid gallery in Stonegate, York, until March 22.

Tomorrow and on Sunday, he will demonstrate the art of etching by printing his work for the public to see. He uses steel plates and acid to create the images. Colours and textures are then added with ink and then more colour is applied with a large roller. Damp, handmade paper is laid on the plate, which is then run through three tons of pressure on the etching press, producing the final print.

On February 13, he opens in a three-person show with Emerson Mayes and Selina Thorpe at the Royal Institute of British Architects at Woodhouse Square, Leeds, in an exhibition entitled Structure, until March 15.

His final exhibition is a private, one-man affair at the Prince's Trust head office in Regent's Park, London, on March 30, to be opened by the Prince of Wales.

Born in Harrogate in 1970, an identical twin, the artist spent most of his early life in Askrigg and has now returned there to live and work.

He graduated from Kingston Polytechnic college with BA(Hons) in illustration before working for the Intouch Group in Leeds.

He then became apprenticed as an etcher with Piers Browne for three years in Askrigg, and now prints full-time. His thoughts about architecture as landscape continues to develop through travels to India, America and Europe.

He was awarded a Prince's Trust bursary in 1999 and a Northern Arts bursary last year. He was the Northern finalist in the Shell Livewire young business of the year awards 2000. Sixteen of his etchings were bought for the permanent collection of the Houses of Lords and Commons last July. Prince Charles also owns some of his work, along with Railtrack and private collectors in New York and Los Angeles.

Mr Slatter and other locals will appear on a Yorkshire-TyneTees documentary in the spring.