IF you haven’t yet started your Christmas shopping and want to buy something unique for the person who has it all, pop along to Selection Box 2011, the annual exhibition for the festive season hosted by the Back O’The Shop art cafe in Terrington.

Several artists will be exhibiting their work, including North Yorkshire artist Leanne Broadbent, who was recently featured in ITV1’s Country Wise.

The exhibition, which runs from Sunday until December 24, brings together artists, jewellery designers and craftsmen in an enchanting exhibition ready for the festive season.

Leanne’s mixed media work takes influence often from the fantasy literature of Lewis Carroll, C S Lewis and the fairytales by the Brothers Grimm.

“I am looking forward to viewing the exhibition,” she said.

“All the artists have been asked to exhibit smaller art works and I feel this will transform the gallery into a chest of treasures that will hopefully appeal to anyone looking for a special gift.

“My art works are extremely detailed and they always appear at their best when hung in intimate spaces. It is the first time I have exhibited at the Back O’The Shop gallery and that was one of the main appeals for this exhibition, as well as exhibiting alongside other accomplished artists from Yorkshire.”

Through the use of fabrics, paints and artist pens, Leanne’s art works are created through recording details from her local environment into her sketch books. These thoughts and images are then committed to canvas and combined with drawings made from her family archive.

“I use images of family members past and present to represent the characters within the narrative,”

added Leanne.

“I love searching to find the right image to represent the emotion I want to portray. I have tried using children as models and it always appears to me too controlled, and the expressions and emotions are not real. The old photographs also contain vintage qualities in appearance and dress which you really cannot recreate.”

Other artists exhibiting in the exhibition include Shelley Hughes – who set up the Back O’The Shop art cafe and gallery in 2007 with her father, Ian – plus Nicola Taylor, Jane Marsh and Pam Lonsdale.

For more details, visit backothe shop.co.uk