RYEDALE artist Sue Slack’s primary tenet for her artwork is a Buddhist thought for the day, namely that ‘We get along better if we collaborate with nature instead of trying to dominate it.’.

The results can be seen in her Land Of Colour exhibition of paintings and prints of the North York Moors, running at The Cafe 68, Gillygate, York, until December 7.

“I wholly respect the power of nature and often feel uncomfortable with man’s determination to dominate it,” says Sue, whose varied career has included research work in the health service; primary school teaching in Britain, Spain and Thailand and working behind a bar and in the Lockton village shop.

“I’ve always felt a need to express a response to the place where I live and work. My travels have greatly influenced my work, along with my love for North Yorkshire. Having always felt the need to draw and paint and having attended various art classes along the way, on returning from my travels in South East Asia at the end of 1996, I finally achieved my aim of attending art school in September 1997.”

An intensive and enjoyable year at college fuelled Sue’s enthusiasm for furthering her art, which she combined with continuing to teach part-time until 2004 when she became a self-employed artist.

“My inspiration comes from the moorland landscape that surrounds me,” she says. “I explore the theme of walking and sketching in order to make that fundamental connection to the land. which I believe is vital to my work.

“My latest paintings and prints take a familiar location and explore different aspects of my emotional response to that place, attempting to harmonise what I see with my ambition to achieve expressive colours.”