A NEW art gallery is opening in Malton this week.

Christine Hughes, owner of Paperspoon, which was formally in The Shambles, is expanding her business to create a larger exhibition space and workshop.

Her new venture, The Gallery, will officially open in Market Place on Friday.

Christine said: “The Gallery’s mission statement is to create a collective space for artists who are local to North Yorkshire, with the option to utilise space for workshops and pop-up meet the maker events.

“I wanted to bring art-led interiors to the high street and expand on the small shop I had in the Shambles.

“I had so many lovely comments about my work I wanted to be able to give others the opportunity to display their work in a bigger space.

“Here people will be able to commission artwork, interior pieces and discuss fabrics with a new consultation area, which showcase my exclusive fabric designs which are part of a growing collection.”

Christine said exhibition space was also available for established and emerging artists.

“The opening exhibition is themed around food to coincide with the Malton Food Lovers Festival this weekend,” she said.

“A number of artists are exhibiting during the event each of which are local to the gallery, including Johnathan Moss, Amanda Pickles, Julia Burns, Ali Bradley Carole Ramsden, Hannah Turlington and Penny Wicks.”

The exhibition will run for a month until June 23, followed by a series of displays showcasing local artists’ work.

Other local artists will form part of the retail space.

Christine said: “The Gallery is a light and airy shop and is a great space to be a gallery.

“It’s great to take it back to what it used to be and create

an inspirational place for the arts and the local community alike.”