Derbyshire Open Arts will be taking place in various locations in the area this bank holiday weekend.
Artists throughout Derbyshire will be opening up their home studios Saturday 24 to Monday 26 to present their work.
Leigh Wood, a previously featured artist and owner of company Metal Manipulation, is now Chair of the festival.
He said: “My background is metal work, I make industrial style lighting and furniture, but this will be my first year as chair so it’s exciting times.
“I’ve actually gained a new venue for them this year, the Mercia Marina at Willington, which is actually holding the most artists this year.
“We’re already making some big changes to make the event as big as possible.”
The event is funded through artists subscriptions to the organisation and is run by volunteers, with a big focus on supporting as many local artists as possible.
Leigh coninued: “It’s nice for the visitor experience, they’re not just coming to see the same thing. They get to see quite a lot of different types of things that are being made.
“The emphasis for me is British handmade, I’ve built my business on that, we’ve got so many talented people in this country that can make things and make them really good, and we should celebrate that.
“It’s important to embrace the art scene, not just in Derbyshire, but all over the country”
Rebbecca Gallagher was featured in the event for the first time last year, and is excited to open up her doors again.
She said: “This is the second year I’ve been there, I was looking for different ways to get kind of more involved in the local art scene because I moved from Liverpool and this event came up so I thought I’d go for it.
“It was a lot of work because, obviously, it’s at home, so I’m turning it into an art gallery for three days so it was intense but it was really nice.
“It was a lot but definitely worth doing as well, and I got some commissions and things afterwards.”
Rebbecca will be competing in a speed Art Battle in Manchester next month, but loved sharing her art in person with visitors in the last event.
“My art is vibrant, you walk in and there’s just color everywhere so kids love it.
“Quite a few times last year kids will come in like when I grow up I’m gonna be an artist, so getting to chat with them and be like you can do it is so nice.”
Derbyshire Open Arts has 245 artists in 68 locations this year and you can visit the website here.
Featured image via Derbyshire Open Arts Facebook.