PAINTINGS by two local artists, Alan Matthews and Nicky Fife, are on show at Newby Hall, near Ripon, as part of a move by the owner, Mr Richard Compton, to bring new art to the historic house.

The works are displayed in the Grantham room, next to the restaurant, in the grounds. A number of the paintings and prints are for sale.

"People often think of historic houses as very static, full of old oil paintings and antique furniture, with little changing from year to year, and for some heritage properties, this can be true," said Mr Compton, who is keen to move with the times at Newby.

"These works provide a contrast to the traditional oil paintings, with Alan using watercolours to produce attractive pictures of the region, and Nicky taking a contemporary abstract approach to produce striking and colourful images of the world around us."

The exhibition is part of Mr Compton's long-term plan to introduce more art and sculpture to Newby to complement existing collections by artists such as Sir Thomas Lawrence, Anton Raphael Mengs and Pompeo Batoni.

Entry to the exhibition is free to anyone visiting the gardens, open Tuesday to Sunday (11am-5.30) or the house (noon-5pm).