CARPENTER, architecture graduate, 2012 York Mystery Plays actor and self-taught artist Lee Boxall is teaming up with the Spurriergate Centre, Spurriergate, York, to exhibit original artwork inside the former church and prints in its shop.

“As an artist, I feel it’s important to get creative as I’m always looking to find good new exhibition space to show my work in York,” says Lee.

“So I decided to approach the centre as I realised they had a great space that would work as an exhibition area, and they agreed to have me as their resident artist for the summer, which is a new thing for the centre.” Lee’s exhibition of oil paintings, watercolours and pencil drawings of York and of the north east coast will run throughout the summer season at the Spurriergate Centre, where the opening hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

Originals include Storm Over Saltburn, a landscape in oils; High Petergate, a mixed media work; and Snowy Minster, an oil on box canvas that Lee painted earlier this year.

“I’m very pleased to be working with the Spurriergate team, and I’m supporting the centre as much as it’s supporting me as I’ll be giving back commission from each sale,” says Lee, who also sells limited-edition prints and smaller original works on the Monday market on Parliament Street.

“I’m calling all my exhibitions after my business name, Ipsofactoarts, which means ‘by the fact itself’, and I’m selling my original works at £75 to £450 and the signed prints from £9.50,” he adds.

Lee moved to York last year.

“I’ve since found it a constant and ever-changing source of inspiration, ranging from people and ‘faces’ of the city to its wonderful architecture,” he says. “My work moves from oil to watercolour and pencil, from landscape to portrait, and is deliberately diverse.”

He is drawing a favourable reaction to his Spurriergate Centre venture already. “The response that I’ve had from fellow York Art Society artists and from those simply enjoying the cafe facility has been excellent,” says Lee. “I hope that anyone passing grabs a coffee and enjoys looking at my work; I’d love to hear what people think.”