RICHMOND artist Ed Kluz returns to Lotte Inch Gallery, in Bootham, York, in a joint exhibition with fellow illustrator Chris Moss, his former sixth-form art teacher, from next Friday.

"We're thrilled to welcome back to the city renowned Yorkshire artist Ed Kluz," says Lotte, looking forward to launching the Look At York show.

"The inspiration for this exhibition comes from Ed and Chris's shared fascination with Yorkshire’s most famous historic city, whose rich and dynamic history is recorded in an extraordinary variety of buildings.

"Look At York's collection of works shows York and its built heritage in a new light through the reinterpretation and rendering of familiar landmarks through the eyes of these two North Yorkshire artists."

The exhibition comprises around 40 framed works, combining scraper boards, paper collages and prints by Kluz with original egg tempera paintings by Moss, all inspired by the buildings of York. Unframed works by both artists will be for sale too.

Born in 1980, Kluz was brought up in Swaledale and studied fine art at Winchester School of Art from 1999 to 2002, since when his work has explored historic landscapes, buildings and objects with a contemporary eye. In particular, the ideas of early Romanticism, the Picturesque movement and antiquarian representations of topography and architecture underpin his approach to image making, and his work has been exhibited across the country, prompting commissions from the V&A, Folio Society, John Murray publishers, Little Toller Books and St Jude’s fabrics.

Moss, who trained at Bath Academy of Art from 1985 to 1988, has a studio in the Yorkshire Dales, where he works in diverse media, including silkscreen, woodcut, pen and ink, egg tempera and oils. Christian iconography and the design of early books are crucial influences on his style, and his present work explores palimpsest: the intriguing way layers of the past can overlap, revealing and concealing in equal measure.

After his training, Moss concentrated on teaching art as opposed to practising it, but lately he has spread his artistic works by embarking on a second career as a professional illustrator, exhibiting his first collection of works as part of the Swaledale Festival.

Kluz and Moss have known each other since 1996. Moss taught Kluz A-level art at Richmond School, where he often took his pupils into the grounds of St Nicholas House to draw the topiary gardens. He was an important mentor in the development of Kluz’s ideas and approach to image making from the age of 16 and they have maintained a rewarding friendship ever since.

"Ed and Chris continue to inspire each other and this exhibition is a reflection of their friendship and shared love of architecture," says Lotte, who will host an opening reception next Friday from 6pm to 8pm.

Ed Kluz & Chris Moss: Look At York, runs at Lotte Inch Gallery, Bootham, York, from August 3 to September 1. Gallery opening hours are Monday, 10am to 5pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm; other times by appointment on 01904 848660.