YORK forges links with Huddersfield and Halifax in the Journeys And Their Stories show at The ArtSpace.

Exhibition curator Jake Attree, the York-born artist of international repute, has brought together the work of Andy Fullalove and Vivian Wade in a joint show at the gallery in Tower Street, York.

Jake taught Andy at art college and knows Vivian from her time as press officer for the Halifax arts and business centre Dean Clough, where he has a studio.

“Their paintings at ArtSpace map silent, internal travelling and offer explanation through their forms, colour and tonal relationships,” says Jake. “Artists should try to be who they are and this exhibition shows us the journeys and stories of two artists trying to do just that.”

Andy, from Huddersfield, shifts between the figurative and the abstract.

“My work is often informed and inspired by landscape,” he says. “Although I don’t try to record exactly what I see, the initial spark can begin there. When other elements are added, the landscape can become a cipher, through which I project inner thoughts and imaginations.”

Vivian has returned to her Yorkshire roots, moving to Halifax after living in Scotland for 11 years. Her work is autobiographical, mostly abstract, and they chart her life journeys, whether geographical, spiritual or related to her experiences with bipolar disorder.

“My paintings are associated with different times and events in my life; sometimes I describe them as inner landscapes,” she says. “I love colour and work in an instinctive way, letting work emerge and evolve.”

ArtSpace co-directors Greg and Ails McGee are excited to be joining forces with Andy and Vivian.

“They’re two highly exciting painters who are on the cusp of national recognition; they’re lovely people and their work has a real glowing magic,” says Greg. “It’s very ‘painterly’ – they show a love for paint as well as fearlessness.”

Andy and Vivian complement each other in their artwork, notes Ails. “The ‘Journeys’ of the title may perhaps be attributed to Andy’s curiosity, his searching restlessness, while Viv’s work can at times give the impression that she’s ‘arrived’ and is ready to tell us what she found on the way. Both have thrilling moments of melancholy, peace and a sense of wonder,” she says.

• Journeys And Their Stories runs until May 25.