Local artists who joined together to provide mutual support plan to mark the new millennium with a major exhibition and book.

Aire Valley Arts, whose members specialise in contemporary pictures, will first stage a major exhibition at the Craven Museum in Skipton. Most of the three-year-old group's 22 members come from Keighley and the villages of South Craven.

Like other local artists, many are inspired by the Yorkshire Dales, but they reject the traditional picture-postcard landscapes in favour of abstract or expressionist images. The group, whose members range in age from 16 to 80, works in mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture and computer-aided design.

New members are only accepted if existing members agree their work fits the broad description of 'contemporary, adventurous or unusual'.

Bradley artist Alec Pearson says members' work generally falls between traditional Dales scenes and the more extreme aspects of modern art.

Founder Daniel Paulo, from Sutton, says members come together mostly for exhibitions, but also share ideas about art and talk about each other's work. He adds: "We're mutually supportive. We can share artistic thoughts without fear of embarrassment."

Steeton artist Ray Vintner feels he has benefitted immensely from this aspect of the group's work.

He says: "I wanted to be with like-minded artists, and there was no other outlet in this area for expressionist works. We try to push the boundaries of art."

The artists regularly exhibit as an entire organisation or in small groupings, mostly around West Yorkshire but as far afield as Galloway and Rossendale.

The next exhibition will open on October 3 and feature members' artistic responses to objects in Skipton's Craven Museum.

The artists brought out a book of new pictures, Spirit of Bradford, to mark last year's city centenery. Now they are planning a new book and exhibition, probably called A Sense of Purpose, to mark the arrival of the new millennium.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.