The Woodhorn Museum in Ashington is the place you need to head if you’d like to see the wonderful Northumberland Open Exhibition in all its glory.

The sheer breadth and scale of this year’s Northumberland Open Exhibition is staggering with 379 artworks selected for the final exhibition, which takes in painting, sculpture, glass work and plenty more disciplines besides. Each year a selection panel choose an Overall Winner and a series of Highly Commended artworks, and this year’s Overall Winner is Robert Newton from Rowlands Gill with his painting English Pastoral. Narbi Price – painter, curator, lecturer and part of the Northumberland Open Exhibition panel – said: “Robert’s work is delightfully fresh, confident, and simple but deceptively complex. It immediately caught my eye and kept me wanting to go back and view it again and again.” Fine words indeed, and I could apply them to so many pieces in this year’s show. I’ve already seen the Open Exhibition once, but there are plenty of artworks here that need even more of my time so I’ll definitely be back. I reckon you’ll feel the same way too. DP

The Northumberland Open Exhibition 2025, until 1 June, Woodhorn Museum, Ashington, museumsnorthumberland.org.uk