YORK Open Studios artists and makers are putting the final touches to their workplaces and studios, ready to welcome visitors across the next two weekends.
This annual event will run within a ten-mile radius of the city of York on April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26 from 10am to 5pm each day, providing an opportunity to gain a sneak peek into where 150 artists work, their methods and inspirations, at 107 locations.
York Open Studios provides the chance to acquire work by established artists or to discover emerging artists, with 27 names new to the showcase, including two York St John University final-year students.
All manner of media will be represented, from traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing and ceramics, to mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography.
Charmian Ottaway, committee member and exhibiting contemporary designer jeweller says: “As an artist myself, I just love to show visitors how I work and also hear what they might be looking for.
Dodo, by 2026 York Open Studios sculptor Joanna Coupland
“As artists, we are all very proud of what we produce and hearing visitors’ responses and finding potential buyers can be really uplifting, especially if you often work alone and don’t directly meet your buyers. For visitors, it’s also a unique chance to see the city with pops of creativity along the way.”
Among the regular artists taking part are wire and paper sculptor Joanna Coupland; linocut printmaker Michelle Hughes; hand-woven textile artist Jacqueline James; illustrator Marco Godfrey-Murphy (MarcoLooks); ceramicist Ben Arnup; B-movie parodist illustrator Lincoln Lightfoot; digital illustrator Elliot Harrison (York 360); collage/mixed media artist Donna Maria Taylor; seascape artist Carolyn Coles; printmaker Susan Bradley; porcelain geometric sculptor Kate Buckley; Lauren’s Cow artist Lauren Terry and linocut printmaker Jane Dignum.
So too are: wood lino and riso printmaker Nic Fife; collage/mixed media artist Adele Karmazyn; hand-cut paper artist Anna Cook; photographer Simon Palmour; wildlife and landscape printmaker Michelle Hughes; ceramicist Ruth King; ceramicist Chiu-I Wu; wildlife linocut printmaker Gerard Hobson; botanical, geological and landscape artist David Campbell; land and seascape artist Freya Horsley; ceramicist Emily Stubbs; illustrator Ric Liptrot; memory, nostalgia and identity artist Leo Morey; collage/mixed media artist Sarah K Jackson and ceramicist Jill Ford.
Look out too for jewellery designer Evie Leach; printmaker Lesley Shaw; abstract expressionist Jo Walton; collagraph printmaker Sally Clarke; jewellery designer Jo Bagshaw; industrial, urban and rural landscape artist Adrienne French; linocut and collagraph printmaker Jen Dring; travel poster-inspired gouache artist Leon F Dumont; landscape artist Kate Pettitt; collage/mixed media artist Tim Pearce; linocut printmaker Carrie Lyall; plein-air oil painter Malcolm Ludvigsen; printmaker Rachel Holborow and digital photographer Lucinda Grange.
So many familiar names to be seen, but not Hearld, alas. Despite applying, York’s most successful artist, Mark Hearld, is bizarrely absent from this year’s runners and riders.
Prachi Bhatnagar: Making her York Open Studios debut at her Ouse Lea studio
His rejection is all the more bewildering given his high-profile month-long solo show, Collage Can Brio!, last December in his “most ambitious project to date” with The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, where “dogs leapt, birds circled and colour burst from every surface” of his dynamic paper constructions in a celebration of the rhythm and vitality of life, full of curiosity, movement and brio.
Inspired as ever by nature, the seasons and the everyday, his collages and prints were complemented by the unveiling of a tapestry created with Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. Hey ho, now you know what York will be missing over these two weekends.
In his shock hiatus, make sure to venture out to artists new to the event:
Em Doodles Doodles: Hand-drawn pen and ink doodles of labradoodles, cockerpoos and other poodle-related poodles, inspired by Layla, Emma Brassington’s Australian labradoodle; Venue 6, 44 Beech Avenue, Bishopthorpe, York.
Paul Pavuk: Macro and minimal photography, expressed through an abstract lens, transforming textures, light and space into compositions that reveal unseen worlds; Venue 11, 13 Vincent Way, York.
Marcus Chapman’s wildlife photography: On view in St John’s Street, York
Dan George: Atmospheric, representative oils and pen and watercolour pencil sketches; Venue 20, 78 Albermarle Road, South Bank, York.
Amelia Donohoe: Handcrafted jewellery in gold and silver, using precious and semi-precious stones; Venue 24, 43 Nunthorpe Crescent, York.
Clare Stringer: Throws porcelain, then decorates it with a variety of mixed media, taking inspiration from nature and contrasting pure white clay with more messy additions; Venue 26, 80 Bishopthorpe Road, York.
Melanie Hill: Printmaking in multi-media designs combining wood and metal letterpress typography, lino printing, hand illustration and digital graphic design that gives a nod to the city of York; Venue 29, 47 Moss Street, York.
Chloe Heffernan: Entwining ancient Neolithic artwork and Irish folklore with modern identity, her work combines jewellery and illustration to tell stories and explore colloquial identities; Venue 31, The Workshop, 5a, The Crescent, York.
Walk The Walls York, by Moss Street printmaker Melanie Hill
McKinley & Moth: Designer/maker Shona works predominantly in sterling silver with basic hand tools and traditional craftsmanship, producing bold and original jewellery inspired by nature; Venue 35, 60 Hob Moor Drive, York.
The Spoonery: Transforming overlooked vintage cutlery into innovative wearable art, such as rings and necklaces; Venue 41, 31 Wetherby Road, Acomb, York.
Janie Stevens: Carves natural materials (stone and wood), now joined by steel, that she turns into flowing sculptural forms that invite exploration; Venue 46, Greenthwaite, Chantry, Main Street, Upper Poppleton, York.
Nicola Harper: Textile artist who uses free-motion machine embroidery, repurposed fabrics and fibres to create landscapes and seascapes inspired by North Yorkshire and beyond; Venue 53, 15 Kensington Road, Rawcliffe, York.
Prachi Bhatnagar: Using oils, pastes and pastels in bold colours and textures, her fluid, expressive work evokes the sensations, beauty and energy of being connected to nature; Venue 60, 78 Ouse Lea, York.
Prachi Bhatnagar: “Evoking the sensations, beauty and energy of being connected to nature”
Georgie Britton: Paintings exploring the colour relationships through the medium of acrylic paint, representing landscapes in expressive and abstracted forms; Venue 62, The Whitestone Gallery, St Peter’s School, York.
Katie Isaac: Hyperrealist oil paintings inspired by nature and idiosyncratic urban pen drawings that strive to bring what might be overlooked, or unseen, into sharp relief; Venue 67, 16 Feasegate, York.
Esme Mai: Photographic study of nature that explores the delicate beauty and transience of botanical forms; Venue 69, Rogues Atelier Artist Studios, Franklin’s Yard, 28a Fossgate, York.
Lucy Coultert, student: Collage & mixed media artist who creates abstract marks and textures to celebrate the beauty of imperfections; Venue 70, Creative Centre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York.
Alley Scout Art, student: Work focuses on wildlife and nature, from layered collage sculptures to wildlife prints and animal-themed tarot deck; Venue 70, Creative Centre, York St John University.
Photographer Marcus Chapman
Marcus Chapman Photography: UK wildlife photography, focusing on birds, plus landscape & travel; Venue 71, 42 St John’s Street, York.
Nigel Joesbury: Works mainly in soft pastels or acrylic paints, tending to paint what excites him, whether music, pop culture or the natural world; Venue 75, 21 Muncastergate, York.
Mountain & Molehill: Lighting designer Elizabeth creates lampshades and homeware, using vintage animal illustrations with a collage-style approach, suitable for classic and modern spaces; Venue 78, 20 Hempland Lane, Heworth, York.
Sinead Barker Textile Artist: Stitches detailed wildlife art with appliqué fabrics on dyed canvas, exploring connection to animals and her wellbeing through her process, producing decorative animal portraits; Venue 77, 17 Hempland Lane, Heworth, York.
Danny Aitken: His wheel-thrown ceramic vessels and urns incorporate elements of prehistoric artistic expression from the European Neolithic and Neolithic, fired with custom ash glazes; Venue 79, 31 Forest Way, Heworth, York.
Lewis Sand Art: Lewis Sand Art: Creating sculptures using only sand and water
Lewis Sand Art: Mark creates sculptures using only sand and water. When not sculpting a sandcastle, he likes to create quirky or whimsical sculptures, often of oversized everyday objects; Venue 86, 88 Millfield Lane, York.
Adrian P Layter: Illustrations that use poetic words and watercolour images to create beautiful and thought-provoking art. “Trees, fruit and Greek Muses all have their story to tell you,” he says; Venue 99, 29 Windmill Lane, York.
Abigail Gingele: Creates vibrant and highly detailed pet and wildlife portraits using coloured pencils in a style that emphasises realism and rich colour; Venue 102, 3 Moorland Road, York.
Sketchy Robot: Portraits and maps drawn by self-designed and built drawing robots. Visitors can have portraits or maps drawn live during York Open Studios, subject to capacity; Venue 106, 14 Heslington Lane, Fulford, York.
Kareem Baqai: Visual articulation and reactions to the rhythms and challenges of today’s world in paint, exploring the cyclic nature of the human condition through mark making, colour, form and composition; Venue 107, 19, Main Street, Fulford, York.
Kareem Baqai: Debut participation in York Open Studios in Main Street, Fulford
A public preview evening will take place tonight from 6pm to 9pm at various locations; check artists’ individual listings to find out who is taking part.
For more information on York Open Studios, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; to access the interactive map, download https://yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map/. Alternatively, a free printed directory is available from assorted tourist hubs and artist locations throughout York and the wider city region. When visiting studios, look out for bright yellow signage and balloons marking the venues.
To find out which artists are planning to give demonstrations during the event, look for the DEMO symbol in the artist listing in the brochure.
York Open Studios 2026: back story
RUN by artists and volunteers, this annual not-for-profit event represents the best of artists and makers living or working within a ten-mile radius of the city, chosen from the applications by the independent selection panel of arts and museums consultant Kate Brindley, sculptor Simon Gudgeon, ceramicist Wendy Lawrence, jewellery designer Mari Thomas and consultant Alex Woodall.
Artists open their doors to invite the public into their workspaces; some artists will share venues or exhibit their work in other spaces. Artists who are not in their own workspace may display a selection of tools and materials or even demonstrate their skills to provide a more ‘Open Studio’ experience for visitors.
The website (yorkopenstudios.co.uk) provides full information on the event, illustrating details of participating artists, including their medium and a map of York and its surrounding areas that highlights where visitors will be able to visit. These can be found in libraries, shops and galleries all over York.
Check out all the 2026 artists and makers at: https://yorkopenstudios.co.uk/artists-makers/.
As for Mark Hearld…?
Mark Hearld’s poster artwork for his exhibition coinciding with York Open Studios
MARK will be holding his own exhibition by invitation of Brio and Damsel – his pet dogs – at 104, The Mount, York. Opening hours? Would you believe it, Friday, April 17, 6pm to 9pm; Saturday, April 18 and Sunday April 19, 10am to 5pm; then Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 10am to 5pm.
