HARROGATE artist Anita Bowerman has just completed an intricate paper cut of the Angel of The North after two months, working three hours a day.

"Sir Anthony Gormley's amazing steel sculpture guards the north of England and it's an iconic image, standing 20 meters high with wings measuring 54 meters across, that needed translating carefully on to paper," she says. "I spent hours visiting the site, then researching and drawing the Angel on to paper before finally cutting it out with a fine scalpel."

Anita's new work is a commission for a sheet metal company that will then use the cut-out to laser cut on to metal and give to their best customers as framed pictures.

"I'm also releasing a limited edition of 50 laser cuts and a limited edition of 495 Giclee prints priced from £95, and you'll soon be able to see the steel copy in my Dove Tree Art Studio, where a few may be for sale."

The paper cut features small children, adults, dogs, rabbits and birds, which are now Anita's trademark as she loves creating tiny details with her knife.

"The people give the Angel scale and show a little boy and girl touching the structure," she says. "There's something very special about visiting this site. Everyone is drawn to it; there seems to be almost angelic energy that surrounds it. My son was thrilled to be able to see the Angel close up and touch it."

Anita has been paper cutting for several years now, completing metre-long maps of Harrogate, Ilkley and York in her Enjoy series. Each map took at least 70 hours to finish, the York one requiring more than 100 hours. "They show the most notable buildings, with little scenes featuring people, birds and dogs, and my original Harrogate and York maps have now sold to private collectors," she says.

Anita's studio and gallery in Back Granville Road is housed in a two-storey 19th century coach house refurbished in the French Atelier style, featuring a grand piano allegedly played at the opening of the Eiffel Tower. Here she creates her paper cuts and teaches watercolour and mixed media courses using vibrant coloured water based paints, twigs and wax.

"I love colour, design and detail. As juxtaposition for this fine paper cutting, I also paint landscapes and trees outside just using twigs, leaves moss and other found objects. ”

All Anita's designs and paintings can be viewed at The Dove Tree or online at anitabowerman.co.uk

Gallery opening hours are 10am to 3.30pm, Thursday and Friday, 12 noon to 5pm on Saturdays and at other times by appointment. on 07760 157046.