14193/1Artists, sculptors and crafts people threw open their doors and welcomed visitors for the ArtsNoW Trail 2004.

Arts North Wiltshire, an organisation promoting art and artists in the district, organised the trail to celebrate the visual arts.

The four-day event, October 24-27, gave people the opportunity to visit local artists in their studios, to discover more about their work and appreciate the wealth of local talent.

The artists in the trail volunteered their time and there was no selection process to decide whose work was included visitors were left to make up their own minds about the merits of the work.

The Arts Trail took in 21 locations all over the district, from Box to Hullavington, Purton to Calne.

One of the artists on the trail was celebrated sculptor Deborah van der Beek, from Lacock.

Working in bronze and clay she is interested in mythology, and the human and animal form. Her recent pieces have included Amazon warrior women, a dancing Salome with teeth decorating her hair, and the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.

Dozens of people called in at her studio to view her work and talk about it.

Ms van der Beek said: "It is good to be in contact with people who are not necessarily artists and to get some good feedback, so it was rather cheering."

"I had an Australian visitor who admired my Ned Kelly and said it had an Australian feel."

Other stops on the trail included stained glass artist Peter Berry in Ratford, near Calne, and Corsham sculptor Andrea Garrihy.