AN artist in York who can often be found sketching in the city centre is a finalist in the national Fine Artist Awards.

Mark Braithwaite is one of five contenders in the frame for the awards which are run annually by the Fine Art Trade Guild for his painting, Silent Night York Minster.

The winner of the Most Popular Published Artist 2022 will be selected by a public vote. Voting ends on Wednesday, April 6.

Born and raised in York, Mark has painted a new Silent Night oil almost every year, with the popular series now featuring eight works which capture what York 'feels like' rather than simply showing how it looks.

He began his artistic career as a pavement artist on the steps of York Minster, and produces a diverse range of work from sketches to oils, from cityscapes to figurative, and illustration to realism.

As well as having the Braithwaite Gallery, Low Petergate, Mark is a well-known figure in the city where he still paints and draws outdoors from a street artist stall during the summer months in various locations, such as outside St Michael Le Belfry.

"Another of our Yorkshire artists, Linda Mellin, is a finalist in the Up and Coming Artist Award, which is also great news," said Mark's wife Anne.

Linda's work is inspired by the Northern landscape and its animals, combining graphic design and painting to produce bright, vibrant pieces.

Support Mark by voting here before Wednesday, April 6.