ARTIST in residence Kay Dower will be sharing her Corner Gallery home space with photographer Claire Morris as Venue 63 on the York Open Studios trail over the next two weekends.

Friends for more than a decade, this is the first time the two artists have exhibited as part of the Open Studios. "We held an exhibition together at City Screen last year and received great feedback," says Kay. "Our artworks complement each other as they're so different, so we'll be mixing them together again for the two Open Studios weekends."

The work on show will be taking over the living room, hallway and kitchen spaces of Corner Gallery, housed within Kay’s Victorian family home at 2, Telford Terrace, in Southbank.

"I've given the sitting room a new look and it's now a striking dark smoky blue that makes the artworks pop off the wall," says Kay. "It’s been a year since I moved the gallery from the retail premises on the corner of Scarcroft Road to my home and online, and it’s been a really positive decision.

"While the on-line sales are continuing to build, people seem to enjoy a more relaxed space to view art in the context of a family home, complete with sofa, TV and the new addition of a ‘gallery puppy’: our fox red Labrador Cleo!"

Self-taught Kay paints all corners of York, from Scarcroft School, York Racecourse and Bishopthorpe Road, to the city rooftops, the little red boats on the Ouse and Clifford’s Tower, all executed in her impasto acrylic painting style with a palette knife. Limited-edition prints are available for many of her paintings too.

Claire takes her inspiration from retro, cool vintage fiction books. "Using paper cutting techniques to partially free the characters from the book, she dramatically lights and stages the shot so that the figures appear to come to life. The result is unbelievably three dimensional," says Kay. "She has fine art limited-edition prints for sale, framed by Fulford Framing, and these are also available on aluminium panel, which gives a really modern, edgy look."

Corner Gallery is Venue 63 on the York Open Studios map. "Look out for the zip wire of yellow balloons to signal where we are. It'll be running from a top-floor window to my allotment opposite. We don’t want people to miss us," says Kay.

The Southbank area will be a hot spot for York Open Studios locations. "There are approximately 20 within a five-minute walk of each other – depending on how fast you walk! – including three artists at The Winning Post pub, so you can recharge and refresh while perusing the art," says Kay.

As well as mixing artworks, Corner Gallery will be serving pick'n'mix sweets to give visitors a sugar boost for the trail, while “Cocktail 63” will be mixed too from 4pm each Saturday, using a Roman Fruit recipe devised by Emma Godivala at York Gin especially for the event."

Corner Gallery has free parking available and will be open from 10am to 5pm on April 6 and 7 and April 13 and 14.