YORKSHIRE photographers John Potter and John Illingworth will celebrate the natural wonders of God’s Own Country in their exhibition of landscapes and seascapes at the Kunsthuis gallery at Dutch House, Mill Green Farm, Crayke, near York.

My Own Yorkshire will run from November 14 to January 11, preceded by a preview evening from 7pm to 9pm next Thursday, when you can meet the photographers and learn more about Dutch House’s new photography competition. No invitation is necessary that evening; all are welcome.

“This season we draw together work by two renowned Yorkshire landscape photographers, John Potter and John Illingworth, and this is the perfect exhibition to attend as autumn draws in and we look towards the Christmas period,” says Cecile Creemers, co-owner of the Dutch House cafe, gallery and wild garden.

The exhibition comprises Potter’s Yorkshire landscapes of Crayke, the Howardian Hills, Sutton Bank, Yearsley and Roseberry Topping, while Illingworth presents stark and glowing glimpses of the Yorkshire coast.

“These photographs truly celebrate nature and its capacity to move us and enliven our spirits,” says Cecile. “My Own Yorkshire is the gallery’s primary autumn exhibition and will form part of a wider Christmas show, which will extend to our Art Café, where original Christmas gifts can be found.”

John Potter is delighted to be exhibiting at Dutch House. “I have always found the hilltop village of Crayke to be an attractive location for landscape photography. In the afternoon, views across the Vale of York looking west from its summit-capped church and castle are second to none,” he says. “I’m a Yorkshireman through and through and North Yorkshire, my own patch, is a constant source of inspiration.”

Potter’s work holds special significance for Dutch House: he was among the first artists to exhibit in the Art Café when it opened in 2010. His work is deeply embedded within the landscape that surrounds Kunsthuis, indeed his favourite tree is in Crayke, just up the road from the Dutch House grounds.

John Illingworth, from York, has worked as a landscape and music photographer for almost 14 years, initially in France, where he learned much from a retired professional photographer and exhibited his work widely. He has lived in Yorkshire since 2008 and is rapidly expanding his portfolio as a photographer of nature and people.

“The theme of our joint exhibition is simply Yorkshire and I hope to bring my personal take on this wonderful county of ours,” he says. “I have chosen a number of images of Spurn Point. This sliver of land stretching out into the Humber Estuary and the North Sea has been battered by ferocious storms for hundreds of years and since I captured these images, much of the peninsula has become inaccessible.

“In concentrating on the old groynes [barriers], I hope to portray something of the human history of the place and the losing battle to stop the advance of the sea. The groynes were placed there in the early part of the 19th century in an attempt to slow the erosion of Spurn Point and have stood the test of time for almost 200 years.”

Meanwhile, Cecile invites you to revel in the beautiful landscape that surrounds Kunsthuis by taking part in the Dutch House photography competition. “Our choice of our favourite submitted image of Crayke and the surrounding area will entitle the winner to a three-hour photography tuition session with John Potter at Dutch House, on a spring date to be agreed with the prize winner,” she says. “The runner-up will win a signed copy of a John Potter photography book and the competition is open now.

“For those who love walking, there is a circular walk that runs through Dutch House and into fields and woodland, along with lengthier walks in close proximity to the site. Crayke itself is a beautiful village with a rich history.” Very ‘photographable’.”

You must submit your photos via email to info@dutchhouseyorkshire.com by the deadline of January 11, 2015, to be in with a chance of winning.