ELEMENTALS, the new mini-show at The ArtSpace, looks at themes of nature at its most exuberant, through the eyes of Valerie Rolls, Lesley Seeger, Francine Cross and sisters Rosie and Joanna Bramley.

“It’s no accident that the work is all by women artists,” says Greg McGee, co-owner of the gallery in Tower Street, York.

“With the world in such a botched state in pretty much every way at the moment, we thought it’d be refreshing to showcase some flirty, sexy artwork as balm for the macho swagger so prevalent in politics, local and global.”

Fellow owner Ails McGee agrees. “It’s not a feminist exhibition – rather, a chance for women artists to showcase their sense of experimental fun and joie de vivre.”

Assessing Valerie Rolls’s latest exhibits, Ails says: “What’s interesting about Valerie is that she has an innocent sense of wonder combined with many years of experience. That’s hard for an artist to fake if they haven’t got it.

“There’s a visceral punch to a lot.”

Valerie, a qualified art therapist, has been painting for decades but only latterly in the public eye. Her work now hangs in the corridors of York Hospital.

“I’ve never had any art qualifications, so there was no push either from other people or myself,” she says. “It was a confidence thing, I suppose. So I spent years just nibbling at the edges, but a couple of years ago, my work culminated in a few pieces that made me finally think ‘This is good stuff’.”

Valerie’s pieces segue seamlessly with those of Lesley Seeger and Francine Cross, according to Greg.

“Lesley adds to the show with her trademark flirty, invariably uplifting colourscapes. Building on her assured sense of fun and ambience, her new collection is impeccably framed and finished with that characteristic flair that evokes good times, good wine and good music,” he says.

Francine focuses on the versatility and adaptability of the human body in her vibrantly coloured paintings on canvas or paper in oil, acrylic and mixed media.

“My work presents the task of revealing the dichotomy of the body’s fragility and strength,” she says.

“The marks made by brushes and knives are sometimes smooth, sometimes aggressive, representing the beauty and vulnerability of humanity.”

To convey expressions of the body, she seeks to capture the abstract nature of individual form. “Exploring human forms is like mapping the landscape,” says Francine.

Rosie and Joanna Bramley’s participation in Elementals affirms The ArtSpace’s desire to bolster links with these emerging Yorkshire artists.

“Rosie focuses on colour and texture, working both figuratively and in an abstract manner, recalling places from memory and experience, while Joanna works monochromatically with layers to reveal shape and the experience of landscape.” says Ails.