THE first exhibition of the New Year in the York College Gallery presents the paintings of Iain Andrews from this week to February 12.

"The works in Changeling begin as a dialogue, both with a particular folk tale and also with an image from art history: a painting by an Old Master that may then be used as a starting point from which to playfully but reverently deviate," says Iain. "This provides a kind of structure, rather like the stage of a theatre, within which the drama of a new story can be acted out through a range of brush strokes, ranging from spontaneous, hurried sweeps to more considered, detailed areas."

The images are then submerged in layers of varnish and surfaces are sanded, scraped and rubbed away to reveal the history of what lies beneath. There are references to sources as wide ranging as sentimental Victorian prints, Ladybird books, Titian, taxidermy, the Brothers Grimm and Ian's own work as an art psychotherapist.

"These works attempt to make new and relevant stories by the dismantling of existing, and in some cases damaging or stifling narratives, in order to create space for new perspectives to come into being," Iain says. "This process is transformative and powerful, yet it is often also messy, painful and chaotic."

He is not engaged in the re-creation of passive forms; the good ending unravels through drama. As such, the paintings document a creative process that is costly and untidy; a form of "recovery" in which unquestioned assumptions might be recovered and changed by an outside perspective.

Iain graduated from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, with an MA in painting in 1998 and gained a diploma in art therapy from Sheffield University in 2000.

Admission to his York College show is free; the gallery is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to noon on Saturdays.