Artist Nerys Johnson makes a welcome return to the Terrace Gallery at Harewood House this year for a one-woman show named 'Flower-Power'.

Ms Johnson, who is from Durham, was one of the most popular exhibiting artists last year at Harewood. Her work hung alongside a number of acclaimed artists including Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Helen Chadwick in the exhibition 'The Flower Show - Flowers in Art in the 20th Century'.

Every weekend from November 4 to December 10, the Terrace Gallery will once again be full of exhuberant, richly coloured flower paintings. With more than 50 of Johnson's small-scale, jewel-like works on display, the Gallery will be a vibrant, lively environment in which to escape from the cold, drab winter months, and possibly pick up a very special Christmas present.

In this exhibition, Johnson repeats many of her trademark images, including the poppy seed heads and tulips.

However, a number of more unusual types of flowers appear, including Kafir Lily, Tradescantia, Artichoke, Rosehip, Mallow, and Autumn Crocus, creating a unique relationship between wild flowers, seasonal bulbs and vegetables, together with the more traditional cultivated blooms.

Ms Johnson has been painting flowers for 30 years and her obvious obsession with their bold forms and vivid hues is intensified by the small size of the paintings. The artist's physical movement is limited by long-term illness, hence the small scale on which she works, yet each individual painting is saturated with an intense pure colour that almost bursts from the paper.

She said: "Art is what makes life complete for the artist. It's how it is for me. I can't imagine life without painting."

She recently won an award for an outstanding contribution to the arts in the northern region.

Meanwhile the artist in residence, Sophie Benson is seeing the results of three month's work at Harewood House. The artist, who is the first in residence for more than 200 years since JMW Turner and Thomas Girtin, has spent three months working from a studio at the stately home. Her selection of photographs and paintings are on show at Harewood until the end of next month.

l ADMIRERS of possibly the most famous furniture designer ever, Thomas Chippendale, have until the end of next month to see an extensive exhibition at Harewood House.

The Otley-born designer, dubbed the Shakespeare of furniture makers, worked at Harewood for ten years. And the star attraction made during the most important commission of his life, is

the recently restored Chippendale State bed.

The bed, which has not been seen in public for more than 150 years, is regarded as one of the showpieces of English furniture. It will now remain on show at Harewood House.