A COUPLE is hoping to raise £60,000 in a bid to put on an art exhibition featuring 40 specially-commissioned pieces of work.

Durham couple Kevin and Jennifer Platts, of Neville’s Cross, have launched the crowdfunding campaign to commission the new art.

If successful, they plan to hold an exhibition featuring the pieces in Durham this August.

Mr Platts, a software engineer, said: “It’s all about bringing art commissioning to everyone and making it safe and secure.”

The couple launched an art commissioning website at the end of last year, which is aimed at making it easier for customers to get in touch with artists.

“It’s almost like a dating site for artists and customers,” added Mr Platts.

They came up with the idea for My Art Brief after struggling to find a piece of art that fitted in their new home and fell within their budget.

Work produced as a result of the crowdfunding campaign will be used to advertise their website.

Contributors to the campaign will receive a postcards or prints of one of the pieces of art in return for their investment.

To contribute to the campaign visit www.kickstarter.com and search for MyArtBrief.com.