Fifteen talented artists from the York area are inviting the public into their working spaces next month for North Yorkshire Open Studios’ winter event.
Taking place from Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026, across North Yorkshire, Winter Open Studios gives visitors the opportunity to explore the hidden spaces where art comes to life, meet the creators and discover one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts.
Their studios can be visited together as a tour or can be dropped into individually in a rare chance to take a behind-the-scenes look at some of York’s most creative spaces.
In York, the places you can visit range from the artists’ own homes to a recording studio.
The artists include:
Veronica Ongaro, whose stained glass, ceramics and printmaking are inspired by the colours, shapes and patterns of the living world in constant change.
Rebecca Mihill, an eco jeweller who works predominantly in recycled silver. A love of colour leads her to add 24c gold leaf, enamels, glass beads and sea glass to her jewellery.
Kai West, an illustrator and print-maker, specialising in screen printed gig posters. Vibrant colours and fantastical scenes are a recurring theme, and more recently Kai has begun bringing his imagery off the page with traditional papier maché sculpture.
Jon Haste, a printmaker whose work explores the northern landscape through bold, detailed linocut, rooted in observation and storytelling, and blending natural forms with poetic imagery to capture moments of presence and change for animals, landscapes and people.
“I have a cosy studio at the back of my house next to my wood burner for heat and windows for ventilation,” said artist Rebecca. “It’s just me and sometimes a cat or two. I like to work when the light is good.
“I usually measure, cut out and prepare my pieces on one day and set about soldering them the following day, then after that I polish and get any jewellery ready to be sold.”
Organised by artist-run collective North Yorkshire Open Studios (NYOS), Winter Open Studios will showcase a wide variety of styles, media and subjects, as well as locations.
Winter Open Studios is the final event in a year-long programme organised by NYOS in 2026, with the aim of celebrating and raising the profile of the region’s artistic talent.
Garth Bayley, project manager at NYOS who will be opening his own studio to the public, said: “There’s nothing quite like sharing your creative space and process directly with visitors. I’m immensely proud of how Winter Open Studios brings our region’s artistic talent together.
“It’s the perfect culmination of our year-long programme, offering a warm, inspiring weekend for everyone who drops by.”