A MAJOR exhibition in memory of talented artist and much-loved mother and friend is being held in Thirsk this month.

The Julia Clutterbuck Memorial Exhibition at the Zillah Bell Gallery will feature work by some of North Yorkshire’s most accomplished artists and will run from March 23 to 31.

Julia, from Hornby Castle, near Bedale, had been diagnosed with bi-polar a number of years ago and in April last year it took her life.

All the proceeds from a private view of the exhibition on March 22 will go to the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, a leading UK mental health charity.

It has been organised by Julia’s 19-year-old daughter Izzy who said: “I wanted to do something very special to celebrate my mother’s life and it seemed appropriate to hold an art exhibition.

"She loved painting, working mainly with watercolours, painting countless animals, both wild and pets, as well as Scottish and England landscapes around where we live.

“During periods of her illness painting would bring her peace, at other times she found it difficult to concentrate, and this would frustrate her. Mum knew the power of mindfulness and loved to be absorbed in painting, as she did gardening and music. She was talented in all of them.

“While she was ill, during the last seven years of her life, she didn’t do as much art, but she would occasionally dabble, when she was feeling well in herself. It would give her a sense of peace."

The artists taking part in the exhibition include: Susan Wilmot, Tania Still, Colleen Vaux, Susan Dugdale, Jane Kitching, Jane Thorniley-Walker, Michele Bianco, James Guinness, Mairi Hunt, Emerson Mayes, Lynne Moore, James Naughton and Robin Furness.