THE APPEAL of landscape appears timeless.  So a new exhibition at the Harrison Lord Gallery in Brighouse is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

The work of two landscape artists, Julian Mason and Holmfirth’s Clare Haley goes on show from tomorrow  (September 14) for three weeks.

The title of the exhibition, Timeless sums up the enduring quality of  landscape images  and the Brighouse gallery is delighted to be showing the work of two contemporary painters.

In his work, Julian Mason  endeavours to capture the atmospheric effects of a scene and how the elements influence the landscape.

 Each painting is the culmination of  his technical skill mixed with his desire to win a passionate  response from the viewer.

Julian’s latest collection of work  illustrates perfectly the subtlety of  the oils technique with  which he  conveys the essence of the unpredictable rhythm of light and atmosphere on the landscape.

 He said: “After spending the last year travelling throughout  Great Britain the landscape has certainly taught me who is the master and who is its pupil!”

Exhibiting alongside  Julian is  Clare Haley who  currently lives in Holmfirth. Clare  trained at Bradford Art College, and Cleveland College of Art and design.

She began painting in Northern Ireland and on moving back to Yorkshire worked in the design industry until in 2010 she returned to painting. Her work has been seen regularly at the Brighouse gallery.

“Before I began painting for this exhibition I came across a recent quote from Californian Art Historian, Jean Stern  who said, ‘Now is the time to restore our dedication to landscape painting.

‘To paint the landscape is one of the most ancient of human endeavours. Landscape is surely the most supreme of art subjects. Nature is always with us and indeed it is within us…. (She) is indeed our mother and we turn to her when we need respite’.”

Clare says the  quote reinforced her  passion for painting landscapes not commonly seen; those that are a consequence of the forces of nature colliding - momentary darkness, shadows, torrents of rain, light through cloud and how it affects the landscape.

“I wanted to capture these moments in time and hope the painting reflects back a feeling of how captivating nature can be and remind us we have no control over her,” she said.

She remains focused on Yorkshire and the surrounding areas where she says the inspiration continues to be unbeatable.

“The paintings are devoid of any modern day structures showing maybe only a natural worn pathway, divided field or old roads so appearing timeless.”

Steven Lord, gallery owner said; “It’s amazing to see the work from these two brilliant artists in an exhibition which has been over a year in the making.

“Two artists who love the English countryside and respond in different ways. Julian Mason sets up his easel in the countryside and paints the scenes in front of him while Clare works in her studio building up dramatic mountain and cloudscapes.”