A groundbreaking artistic collaboration will take centre stage in the Yorkshire Dales this spring as Swaledale Festival unveils a unique exhibition and immersive painting experience.
Launching in May, the project brings together internationally recognised Swaledale-based artist Martin Lever and acclaimed violinist Fenella Humphreys in what organisers describe as a world-first fusion of art, music and landscape.
The exhibition, Into Over Beyond, opens on Friday, May 22 at The Station Gallery in Richmond. It features a major new body of work by Lever, inspired both by the Swaledale landscape and the festival’s 2026 programme.
At the heart of the exhibition is Vivaldi Meets Swaledale, a striking piece influenced by Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Lever reimagines a musical stave from the famous score as the geometry of Swaledale’s fields, barns and hills, creating a visual interpretation of sound across the seasons.
The collaboration will extend beyond the gallery on Friday, May 29 with Life in the Meadow, a full-day outdoor painting workshop set in the wildflower meadows of Gunnerside. Participants will paint in response to live violin performances by Humphreys, guided throughout the day by Lever.
Explaining the concept, Lever said the project aims to create “a meeting point between music, painting and the landscape”, adding that the workshop invites participants “to step into the process themselves”.
Humphreys added that the ever-changing nature of the Dales makes it an ideal setting for the collaboration, noting: “The Dales can feel like all four seasons in a single day, so Vivaldi’s music felt like the perfect companion.”
Festival director Fraser Wilson said the initiative reflects the festival’s ethos of connecting people, place and creativity, offering audiences the chance not only to observe but to take part.
Alongside the central piece, the exhibition will include works from Lever’s Northern Light, Icons and What the Angels See series. A percentage of all sales will be donated to the festival, which is a registered charity.
The exhibition runs daily from Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, June 3, with free entry.
A performance of The Four Seasons will take place on Wednesday, May 27 at The Influence Church, featuring Humphreys alongside fellow musicians Delia Stevens, Eleanor Grant and Valerie Barr.
The Swaledale Festival itself runs from Saturday, May 23 to Saturday, June 6, featuring a record 75 music, arts and walking events across the northern Yorkshire Dales.
Visit www.swalefest.org for more information.
