This year 68 artists from across the region are opening their studios to visitors for the event, which this year for the first time also includes artists from Hull. Around a dozen artists in Beverley and surrounding villages are taking part.

The East Riding and Hull Open Studios 2008 will take place on two weekends next month, October 4 and 5 and October 11 to 12. Visitors will be able to see demonstrations and displays of the artists' work.

The event has been welcomed by Pete Massey, regional partnerships officer for Arts Council England, as an opportunity to discover the artistic talents of people across the region, and to experience the many different artistic processes involved in their work.

"East Riding and Hull Open Studios mine a rich seam of creativity that demonstrates the contribution that the arts make make to cultural tourism, and the contribution cultural tourism and creative industries make to the prosperity of Hull and the East Riding," he said.

The event is organised by Big Skies.org, a not-for-profit social enterprise aimed at forging a stronger cultural identity for East Yorkshire.

Among the artists who are taking part are Nicky Clacy, who sculpts spectacular papier mache animals at her home at 54 Hillcrest Drive, Molescroft.

It is the third year that the event has taken place and the second time that Nicky has opened up her studio to take part.

She says she is looking forward to meeting visitors this year, and to demonstrating her sculpture techniques.

"This year I am working on some papier mache dancers, which hopefully will be finished in time. It is a medium you can do anything with and last year I did some recipe sheets showing people how they could do it themselves," she said.

More information about the artists and the open studios event at www.eastridingopen
studios.com.