A LOCAL artist is bringing an air of mystery to Scampston Walled Garden.

Catriona Stewart has opened a new exhibition at Scampston's garden cafe which explores themes of nature and mystery.

The exhibition will run until the end of October, when Scampston Walled Garden will close for the season.

Catriona, who lives in Norton, originally comes from the Highlands of Scotland. She ran her own international design business for many years, and although she still designs carpets to commission, she is now a practising painter.

From her studio at Highfield Racing Stables, one of North Yorkshire’s famous stables, she paints mainly in oils and acrylic, and is primarily a colourist. Her subject matter is her immediate world, both visible and invisible.

Catriona said: “Whether I am painting a landscape, an abstract work, or a subject from my imagination, I am aiming for something I would describe as a deeper truth, which I hope will be conveyed through the whole harmony and structure of the colours and the shapes.”

Catriona said she had chosen paintings for Scampston which relate to nature and gardens.

She said: “They mostly have an added element of mystery or 'otherness', something which I feel is there in all our surroundings: in the power of nature, and the beauty of flowers and gardens. It can be magical, strange, or sometimes threatening.”

Isobel Pritchard, marketing and visitor services manager at Scampston Walled Garden, said: “We are thrilled to have Catriona’s beautiful work on display in the café. The garden café is a lovely bright space which opens onto the walled garden itself.

"Catriona’s exhibition follows a summer of exhibitions from Caroline Oates and Garry Courtney. It is wonderful to see how the space adapts and is transformed by the work of a talented artist.”

Scampston Walled Garden and Garden Café is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm. The gardens close on October 30.

For more information, phone 01944 759111.