JOAN Miro, the late Catalan painter and sculptor, once compared an artist’s studio to a vegetable garden “where things follow their natural course". "They grow, they ripen. You have to graft. You have to water," said the Barcelona surrealist.

This nurturing process comes to fruition at Pocklington Area Open Studios on May 5 and 6, in the wake of more than 100 artists and makers taking part in the 2018 York Open Studios over the past two weekends.

"Pocklington differs from the York event in that it features studios mainly in rural settings, while still offering the opportunity to peek into the worlds and minds of the artists," says potter Gerry Grant, from Fangfoss Pottery.

"Visitors can take a look around the equipment and materials used, pore over the sketch books and find out how the works of art are created, knowing that everything is made by hand with care and passion."

An eclectic mix of arts and crafts is being exhibited, from pottery to painting, jewellery to textiles, enamels to glass and everything in between in an event involving 16 artists in ten locations. "We hope visitors will come and see us over the Bank Holiday weekend and call in for a chat and some refreshments. They will be assured of a warm welcome. Why not come and see how our garden grows?" says Gerry.

The Pocklington event will be one of many across Britain, where all manner of studios in often unexpected locations open to the public in springtime, from remote farm buildings to restored factories in cities.

"Certainly one of the more significant developments, as far as artists are concerned, has been the rise of the open studio movement over the past decade or so, when a group of artists in a relatively small geographical area get together and throw open their studios to welcome visitors," says Gerry.

"They come in all shapes and sizes: converted schools, granaries, cowsheds or simply rooms set aside in houses. What they all have in common is that they are sanctuaries where artists tend their 'vegetable gardens' – thinking, planning and creating. Unlike galleries, which are commercial spaces open all year round, studios are personal, secluded places that reveal much about the people who work there."

Pocklington Area Open Studios 2018 will run on May 5 and 6 from 10am to 5pm each day. A planned route for a day out can be found on a leaflet available from Pocklington shops, cafés, hairdressers and Pocklington Arts Centre that will provide the full route details. "You can join at any point and spend as much time as you want talking to the artists about their work and their inspiration," says Gerry.

For more details, go to pocklingtonareaopenstudios.co.uk