VILLAGE Gallery, in Colliergate, York, will be running 2D and 3D exhibitions back to back from November 26 to January 19 under the title of Memories Of Summer to counter the late-autumn and winter chill.

On show will be an exploration of the different styles and interpretations of Yorkshire land and seascapes by a brace of plein-air artists, Malcolm Ludvigsen, from York, and Hilary Thorpe, from Whitby.

Malcolm spends much of his time on the beaches and headlands of Yorkshire, endlessly fascinated by the sea and sky; Hilary relishes all the elements of the North Yorkshire coast, capturing the activity of the sea, the ever-changing colourful landscape of the moors and the scenic coastal villages. Both artists believe that working outside, directly in front of the subject, and experiencing the weather and environment, gives their work a life and vibrancy lacking in much studio art.

"Plein air painters – painters like myself who paint outside in the cold and disdain warm, comfortable studios – are a rare breed, so it's always interesting to come across another one, and a pleasure to share an exhibition with one," says Malcolm.

"This is why I'm particularly looking forward to this exhibition. Yes, Hilary Thorpe is, like myself, a plein-air painter, though her style is somewhat different, and she uses acrylics rather than oils. We both paint mostly on the Yorkshire coast, the North Yorkshire Moors and the Wolds, and many of the painting in the exhibition are our individual take of the same scene."

Malcolm confesses to preferring his winter paintings to his summer ones. "In winter you get better clouds; in summer there's nothing more boring than a blue, cloudless sky," he reasons. "However, Simon [Main], the gallery owner, has insisted that all the paintings be warm, cheery, summer ones, with no grim, grey winter scenes and certainly no snowscapes. Hopefully this will brighten the mood of visitors to the exhibition and make them more inclined to dig into their pockets and buy something!

"Actually, many of my grim, grey Yorkshire landscapes are at Webbs Fine Art Gallery, in Burland Road, Battersea, London, where they're having a show of my work together with the paintings of Cornish artist Andrew Tozer. In contrast to me, Andrew does bright, colourful, vibrant and happy Cornish beach scenes. I suspect that the show is supported by the Cornish tourist office."

Plein-air painting is not all plain sailing, as mathematics, cosmology and relativity professor Malcolm reveals. "Plein-air painting is all very nice but it does have its drawbacks and difficulties, like being caught by the incoming tide, aggressive cows, canvases being blown away in the wind, rain and snow etc, but the biggest drawback of all is curious people," he says, coming over all Victor Meldrew.

"They tend to sneak up behind you, peer over your shoulder and make annoying comments like: 'Are you painting?'; 'I suppose it will look better when it's finished'. 'It looks very relaxing!' 'My uncle/aunty is a painter'....etc etc.

"And they even expect me to stop painting and have a chat with them, not realising that I'm trying frantically to capture the fleeting light. And it really annoys me when they say how relaxing it looks. Painting, when done properly, demands absolute concentration and, after a couple of hours, you feel absolutely exhausted. I think Mark Twain once said that 'painting is the hardest work in the world'."

Turning his thoughts to fellow exhibitor Hilary Thorpe, Malcolm says: "Hilary had a successful exhibition at Village Gallery earlier this year. Like me, she works en ‘plein air’ and she is particularly keen on seascapes, and this joint exhibition showcases some of the work she has painted during the summer.

"Hilary forged a reputation as a marine artist while living on the Isle of Wight, before moving to Whitby four years ago. She was well known for capturing the activity of the Solent, especially the yacht racing. On the Yorkshire coast she travels around, her favourite haunts are Filey Brigg, South Gare and Whitby, and she’s also enjoyed catching a little of the yachting activity.

"Hilary works in acrylics, painting on location with palette knives and brushes. Each piece is usually achieved in one sitting, and these are the paintings she frames and sells. Looking ahead, she will be showing her work during the North Yorkshire Open Studios during 2019."

Other Yorkshire and North East artists with work on display and available to buy at Village Gallery include ceramicist Meg Ashley; wood turner Ralph Shuttleworth; floral scene artist Julie Lightburn; acrylic artist Andrew Lambeth; batik artist Rebecca Mason; sculptors and glass artists Ruth Foster and Ailsa Nicholson; jewellery designers Paul Allinson and Ailsa Matfin and bronze sculptor Edward Waites.

"There’s a lot to see and inspire, particularly with Christmas just round the corner," says gallery curator Simon Main. "Both Malcolm and Hilary, by the way, will be on hand to talk about their work at next Monday evening's exhibition preview, for which tickets can be obtained from the gallery."

Charles Hutchinson