CLAIRE West’s Happy exhibition of colourful paintings at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre will make you smile until June 15.

"The aim of my work is to cheer people up," says the Beverley artist Claire West, who works mostly in acrylics and mixed media.

"I was one of those children who wrote one line in their exercise book in very big writing and then drew a huge picture – and nothing much has changed.

"I paint work that I hope will make people smile. It has been said that you may need sunglasses when looking at some of my paintings. I took that as a compliment, whether it was meant as one or not!

“Very rarely do I plan what I’m going to paint: it just evolves through splashing about colour and seeing what comes to mind."

In the past year Claire has worked on many and varied projects, such as artwork used as a backdrop in Death On The Tyne, the television film that starring Johnny Vegas, and work commissioned by EastEnders for use on the BBC1 soap opera's sets.

Claire, who gained a BA in Fine Art at Humberside University, exhibits in galleries across Britain and holds regular workshops in painting and printmaking to groups of all ages and abilities.

Happy can be seen in the SJT's corridor gallery from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, except during show times. Admission is free.