THE Rolf Harris collection comes to Leyburn next week thanks to the Wensleydale Framing and Fine Arts studio.

This collection of fine quality reproduction prints was developed from the BBC's latest series of Rolf on Art and brings together a selection of his favourite paintings.

Some of the most effective pictures portray the rawness and vitality of Australia. Harris has stated: "My approach to painting comes from the Australian impressionist Hayward Veal and basically it consists of blurring my eyes when I look at the subject, painting the blur, and the slowly refining it to my liking."

This works especially well in his Running in the Dusk of which he states: "On one of many trips back to Australia, I was heading out to Sydney airport just about dusk. Alongside us, and just above the level of the car, was a sports field and a group of runners were moving at almost the same speed as the car. I asked the driver to stay alongside them if he could, as I soaked in the impression of their silhouetted appearance."

Another of his Australian scenes is of a man standing in utter despair watching his land and home go up in flames during a forest fire.

Bush Shack at Sunrise captures the sun-blasted starkness of much of the land of Oz.

As well as some of his paintings in the style of such great Impressionist artists as Van Gogh and Monet, created for the Rolf on Art series, there are some made during the filming in Kenya for Rolf's Amazing World of Animals.

The exhibition in Leyburn starts on Saturday, December 7, and continues until Tuesday, December 31, and includes two Sunday openings on December 8 and December 15 (10am-4pm). P L

The pieces in the collection are all strictly limited and available for the duration of the exhibition only. Prices range from £95 for a framed limited edition in the Impressionist series to £350 for a framed Bushfire limited edition. P L.