Kingsbridge

Harbour House is the venue for an exhibition of colourful paintings and prints celebrating the English summer.

Torbay artists Emma Carter and Nicky Stevenson hold their annual exhibition in the Kingsbridge gallery for a fortnight from May 20.

Carter's tranquil land and seascapes evoke a feeling of timelessness, offering an escape into a serene and ethereal world, with vast and open compositions reflecting the forces of nature.

Her inspiration is drawn from the ever changing natural land and seascapes that surround her, expressed on paper or canvas as a reflection of her memory and her vision.

The scenes in her more recent paintings have been inspired by the noble, timeless English coastline, mostly in and around Devon and Cornwall, although all of her work carries within it the memory of travels to some of the most sacred and stunning parts of the world.

In contrast, Stevenson is well known for her contemporary, colourful images of fish, birds and reptiles, which reflect her firmly held philosophy that it is our moral duty to remain optimistic in life.

Nicky has also developed a range of greetings cards, porcelain mugs and printed t-shirts.

Both Nicky and Emma will spend time in the gallery working on paintings, and are happy to discuss their work at any time.

Carter and Stevenson are well known across Torbay for their work promoting the arts, having been instrumental in setting up a flourishing artists' collective, The Shoal of Brixham Artists.

More recently Carter has set up a new venture, The Riviera Art House, aiming to promote and celebrate art and artists, and is director of The Great Create, promoting the arts through the National Trust at Greenway.

She explains: "Art is such an important part of life for me as an artist, and it's great to be able to facilitate the public's interaction with artists and creatives in a positive and unique way."

Opening times are 10am - 5pm daily, until the close of the show on Sunday 1 June. Admission is free.