AN exhibition of work exploring the power of the sea and the impact of industry on the spectacular landscapes of the north opens at the Inspired by…this weekend.

Len Tabner’s Painting from Wild Places can be seen at the gallery at The Moors National Park Centre in Danby, from Saturday, June 13, to Monday, July 20.

Seen as one of the UK’s best modern landscape painters, Len Tabner likes to be outdoors and to paint there, rather than in a studio. He lives on the North York Moors near the potash mine at Boulby, and has been down the mine on many occasions to paint what he sees there. He has travelled to the South Atlantic as a guest of the Royal Navy, and to the wilds of Japan, America, Scandinavia, Scotland and Ireland to paint.

Len said: “I was born in South Bank on the River Tees near Middlesbrough, surrounded by blast furnaces and drilling rigs – but all I wanted was to be outside, walking, birdwatching, drawing and taking photographs. My father was an inshore fisherman, so I was out in boats from a very early age.

“I like to share the experiences I have had, and the only way I can do that is by painting. This exhibition represents over 40 years of work, and is all to do with the landscape and weather, which I find very inspiring.”

Gallery curator Sally Ann Smith said: “Our attitude towards nature has always been ambiguous, nature being seen as a provider but also a powerful, frightening force.

"Over a lifetime of work, in some of the most challenging of environments, landscape painter Len Tabner has shone a light onto this uneasy relationship. This major solo exhibition explores both the power of the sea and the impact of industry on the spectacular landscapes of the north.”

The gallery is open from 10am to 5pm daily. Please note that masks must be worn throughout the National Park Centre in line with the latest Government guidelines.

For more information on the exhibition, go to northyorkmoors.org.uk/inspiredby.