PASSION and quality shine out of the work produced by Carlisle's West Walls Artists group in a new exhibition at the Upfront Gallery near Penrith.

Their "Now" exhibition is a tour de force of artistic quality.

From the atmospheric landscapes of Carlisle's architect Malcolm Wilson, whose work is reminiscent of that which came from the brush of JMW Turner, to the intricate horsemen sculptures of Mark Gibbs, and the delicate and intricate jewellery of Emma Scott, this collection is as hugely varied as it is impressive.

The group currently consists of a dozen artists.

"Most of us have other jobs," said Emma, whose day job is the running of the Knoxwood Wildlife Rescue Centre which was founded by her father George. "I'm the group's resident goldsmith."

That modest description fails to do justice to the Emma's work.

It ranges from traditional pieces, with gemstones and metals such as gold, silver, and copper, to beautiful creations using recycled paint, fossils and found items. "Turning something that was literally once regarded as rubbish into something precious which people will wear and treasure is one of my favourite parts of it," said Emma.

"The West Walls Artists have been running for more than 20 years and we have had a lot of new artists over the last year. It's great to have the opportunity to exhibit together in such a lovely space as that provided by Upfront Gallery. They've given us the whole of the upstairs."

The dozen strong group also includes:

Alison Critchlow: her paintings explore the unseen rhythms of life. She combines drawing outside with a free an intuitive method of working.

Renuka Saxina: She sums up her work by saying: "I wish to express a poetry of visual elements, the play of light and dark, and the relationships of colours. I feel a sense of mystery and the hallowed in my work."

Malcolm Wilson: An architect by day, his oil paintings - often of hauntingly beautiful Cumbrian landscapes - have been described by Sir Hugh Casson, of the Royal Academy in London, as being "one of the great emerging talents in British landscape art."

Troy Slater: A working tattoo artist, he works with a wide range of techniques, media, and subject matters, and seeks to question and challenge the established parameters of art and music.

Mark Gibbs: He sums his work up by saying: "My work is a meditation on the fragility of life and the tragedy of obsolete power." His sculptures reference shamanism, horses, and other animals, built from the inside out, starting with the skeleton and often including internal organs. The unsettling - but arresting - result can resemble cyborg or a creature in the process of reanimation.

The West Walls Now Exhibition at the Upfront Gallery runs until September 1.