A SUITE of dramatic etchings of the North Yorkshire coast will be launched this weekend as part of the winter exhibition at the Zillah Bell Gallery in Thirsk .

The works are by printmaker and Royal Academician Norman Ackroyd, famous for atmospheric etchings of the British coastline, following his first exploration along the Yorkshire coastline.

The artist chartered a twin-masted ketch motor yacht from which to make sketches of the rugged cliffs as seen from the sea.

The vessel, the Specksioneer, built in Holland in 1965, regularly sails out of Whitby for whale watching.

On the first day he and his party sailed to Flamborough Head, past Robin Hood’s Bay and on to Bempton Cliffs and Scarborough Castle.

Day two took them north to Saltburn at dawn to see the play of the light on the cliffs. The third and final day took the party up the River Esk.

He said: “In place of promontories and islands, our coastline presents a blunt face to the North Sea, making it more difficult to see from the land and more difficult to appreciate it’s uniqueness.

"The coastal cliffs of Yorkshire are deceptively beautiful, but a closer look reveals a long spiritual, industrial and often violent history.”

He was accompanied by his son, Simeon, Les Prince, picture framer), John Bell and Sarah Greenslade from the gallery and Joceleyne van den Bossche, photographer.

The resulting suite of ten prints, From Saltburn to Flamborough, are available to buy individually or as boxed sets. They include atmospheric images of Whitby, Crab Rocks at Bempton, where the gannet colony has expanded massively in the last 30 years, and Saltwick Nab, a man-made feature that is becoming isolated from the cliff as a result of extensive alum mining over many years.

Ackroyd has produce similar suites of etchings after voyages along the western edges of Scotland and Ireland. He was so pleased with the latest that he also made larger interpretations of some pieces.

Also showing in the winter exhibition are gallery artists and Debbie Sutcliffe, a member of the Society of Wood Engravers, whose simple woodcut nudes in outline are a homage to Eric Gill and an elegant interpretation of the human form.

From Saltburn to Flamborough runs from tomorrow until January 24. The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am-1pm and 2- 5pm.

More details can be found at zillahbellgallery.co.uk.