YORK contemporary gallery According To McGee wraps up its 10th anniversary celebrations with the final instalment of the Trailblazers Of Contemporary Art series from this weekend.

The trailblazer this time is the notoriously irascible York-born David Baumforth. "He's certainly one of a kind, and that feeds into his work," says gallery co-director Ails McGee. "There's a defiance and single-minded quality to his painting that is definitely 'classic' somehow, a Romantic instinct for light and the elements.

"But there's something else too. If Baumforth's work were to hang next to any other contemporary visual genre it could more than hold its own. There's an authenticity, an attitude, that simply comes from the real deal. The Turner Prize could do worse than shortlisting a painter like Baumforth."

Baumforth was, in fact, the recipient of the Not The Turner Prize in 2003 and has been internationally feted for his paintings of York, Yorkshire and the North Sea coast, working out of his home studio at The Corridor Gallery, Lowgarth, Pickering Road East, Snainton, near Scarborough.

Through the years, he has exhibited widely in both one-man and group shows, including the Royal Academy Summer Show, the Royal Watercolour Society Open and The Hunting Prizes at the Royal College of Art.

He now saves much of his energy for his practice, saying: "The Yorkshire moors and its coastline feed me with images for my pictures, which it has done for the past ten years. At the present time, I feel no need for change. I'm happy to return to According To McGee. It's a great gallery that has always showcased painting."

Greg suggests that the York, Yorkshire and the North East Coast show amounts to Baumforth reapplying for the job of the "Turner of the North". "These are nationally important Romantic paintings," he says. "David likes to let the work speak for itself, but in this age of the soundbite, it's good to see some heavyweight critics step in and support us."

Greg is referring to the stamp of approval that Baumforth received from the eminent art critic and nun Sister Wendy, who pronounced: "Anyone who has an eye for art, the deep passionate colour of Turner, the pure loving observations of Constable, must rejoice that our century has David Baumforth. This work is the real thing, wet with sea spray we can feel, fresh with gusts of wind, always mysterious, always beautiful."

The McGees first showcased Baumforth's work in 2004. "It's satisfying, on every level, to exhibit him again as part of our 10th anniversary celebrations," says Ails, "It's shaping up to be a great show, and the best of it is that it hammers home just how healthy the northern art scene is."

Reflecting on the Trailblazers series, Greg concludes: "Primarily it's been about celebrating contemporary painting, and how it can go duke for duke with any other contemporary genre. This year's Turner Prize might beg to differ, but while the chatterati are scratching their heads over the latest conceptual installation or multi-media performance, we'll continue to present desirable paintings from some of the UK's best painters."

David Baumforth: York, Yorkshire & The North East Coast, runs at According To McGee, Tower Street, York, from Saturday until October 26, with a private view on Saturday. To apply for an invitation, please contact info@accordingtomcgee.com