An art exhibition in the magnificent setting of Ripon Cathedral will be showcasing exciting new talent alongside established artists. Ruth Campbell takes a look

CATHERINE Sutcliffe-Fuller takes what appear to be quite ordinary landscapes and strips them bare, transforming them into surprisingly powerful images, and forcing us to look at them anew.

The York-based printmaker has been documenting the changing environment in and around her city for the past 20 years, showing how farmland, waste ground and derelict buildings have been reshaped and reconfigured to create new, and sometimes controversial, developments.

Under her steely, intelligent gaze, fenced off rural buildings, construction sites, pockets of nature and city streets are captured in gritty, restrained monochrome, shot through with occasional dashes of colour.

Sutcliffe-Fuller’s thought-provoking and atmospheric artworks, produced using a 17th century printing press, will be among 300 contemporary prints, paintings, sculptures and photographs by 50 outstanding artists on display at the Great North Art Show in the magnificent setting of Ripon Cathedral from September 3.

Now in its 15th year, the exhibition aims to showcase both up-and-coming and established artists working in the North of Britain during the three week event.

While Sutcliffe-Fuller, who has exhibited all over the country including in the House of Lords, has been selected as the leading ‘guest artist’ at this year’s event, there will be an impressive array of other talent on show in the spectacular ancient church, which has a history dating back to the 7th Century.

Sought- after portraitist Ruth Fitton will be doing two-hour ‘alla prima’ (Italian for ‘in one go’) oil studies, when visitors will have the chance to get their portraits painted against the stunning backdrop of the cathedral.

The self-taught artist, based in Yorkshire, has devoted years to the quest of capturing the human face and its nuances of character and expression and has exhibited throughout Yorkshire and in London.

For sculptor Joseph Hayton, who originally trained as a stonemason and now works from his studio in Pateley Bridge, where he creates figurative pieces as well as portrait sculpture in stone and bronze, it will be his first time to appear at the show.

Among the other exciting young talents at the exhibition, where the sheer scale of the venue allows each entrant to display a collection of work rather than one individual piece, is wildlife artist Clare Brownlow, from the Scottish borders, who paints using pheasant feathers instead of paintbrushes.

For Sutcliffe-Fuller, exhibiting in Ripon Cathedral feels like coming home. She was one of the first artists to exhibit here in the early years of the Great North Art Show, when she was just starting out.

“I was delighted when they asked me to come back and be a part of it again, particularly as I don’t regard myself as a commercial artist. What I love about the Great North Art Show is that they choose artists from so many different and varied fields.

“They were interested in my story and the nature of my work, which is a course of research and study.”

Brought up in the countryside outside York, she started drawing plants and animals from the age of three and says she has been observing the people and landscape around her ever since.

After York College of Art, she studied fine art and printmaking in Brighton and uses a combination of techniques which involve relief and stencil screen printing.

It’s an art form which dates back hundreds of years and the process can be laborious and time-consuming, with each print taking an average of six weeks to produce. But the result, shot through with modern, innovative methods including laser jet digital transfer and etching with nitric acid, is strikingly contemporary.

Influenced by Japanese printmakers as well as the urban landscape, local culture and history, her talent for creating images encompassing the past, present and future of the evolving landscape has resulted in a number of artist residencies.

She has recently documented the clearance and development of a historical site in the Hungate area and is also creating a visual record of the creation of the York Community Stadium and the development of the Monks Cross area for City of York Council and ISG Construction.

She remembers the Monks Cross when it was farmland: “I grew up on this land. We used to pick strawberries here when it was a farm. I’m interested in how it has changed to fit our economic needs, how we view the land and how we process it. I am interested in the way people connect with the landscape.”

Through her eyes, the changes wrought on the landscape are captured as they unfold: “My role as artist is to document the social history of the site so that when I’m gone, what happened to the land is remembered.”

*Great North Art Show Saturday September 3 to Sunday 25. Entry to the cathedral and exhibition is free and all artworks are for sale.

*W: wwwgreatnorthartshow

*F: Facebook/GreatNorthArtShow

*Twitter: @GreatNorthArtSh