Artfulness Gallery's new show combines two artists already flushed with success in York but who are, judging by a sneak preview, destined for wider recognition.

Magdalena Brieger, a York resident for 25 years, lived through extraordinary times in her native Poland. With her memories of martial law, ominous lines of tanks and even being followed by the secret police, you might well imagine some bleak art resulting.

Far from it; Magdalena's work is brimming with life, energy and the celebration of beauty.

In fact, this is no coincidence; Magdalena talks about her work reflecting her life of "constant struggle to escape from the dark and walk towards the light" and also her refusal to submit to pessimism. The result is a set of effervescent paintings of free-running horses, ember-eyed tigers and shimmering angels.

These angels are the consequence of another strong influence on Magdalena's life, namely her Catholic upbringing and the rich, ornate golds found in her homeland's churches.

However, Magdalena is more interested in spirituality and human courage than religious convention and this also shines through her paintings.

She mentions a piece of graffiti (important in the absence of a free press) which she recalls from Poland's dark days when the election of Pope John Paul II gave some much needed hope to the country.

It read, "He prays for us, the rest we do for ourselves, " and Magdalena has certainly done that both in life and her art. The centrepiece of her exhibition is a truly dramatic and emotional piece entitled "Angel For My Brother".This work was a full two years in development and is well worth just a little time of yours.

Artfulness owner Amie Antoniak has a fascination with sky and landscapes, although her work is painted from new perspectives. An earlier collection involved a plane flight for inspiration and resulted in stunning landscapes painted from above the clouds, for which Amie won a Royal Academy landscape competition.

Her latest collection, described by Amie as "unfinished business", is taken from the perspective of a recent balloon trip over Yorkshire.

Amie says she wants to evoke senses of "freedom, space and infinity" and succeeds on dramatic, large-scale canvasses.

While this work is firmly figurative and traditional, it also has echoes of Debra Stroud's more abstract skies. This is unsurprising when you hear Amie describing the ever-changing sky as "God's own abstract painting", and it's hard to argue with that.

Other pieces in her collection also concern the sky, but from a more grounded viewpoint.

Dynamic and vibrant, her firework pieces capture the moment of explosion against a coal-black sky perfectly.

However jaded you think you have become, you really will instantly recall your awestruck, younger self staring upwards, immune to the freezing night.

The private view is on Tuesday from 6pm to 9pm at Artfulness Gallery in Goodramgate, York, where the exhibition will run until the end of January 2008.