JESSICA Alys’s exhibition at The Carriageworks in Leeds will open tomorrow, two days earlier than first planned.

This will be the York artist’s first show since The Outdoor Cat and Other Paintings at the Blake Head Bookshop, York, in March 2009.

“The new one is a collection of portraits, collage and patterns called In The Night and it includes at least one cat – as befits the night,” says Jessica.

“Things appear differently in the night; it’s a time for nuances and strange clarity, comfort and challenge. My wild and peaceful patterns, faces and images reflect the familiar other world of the night.”

Jessica continues to welcome commissions both for her portraiture and her dreamcatchers.

“They’re based on the native American dreamcatchers, which are made out of wire and beads and twine and feature symbolic objects,” she says.

“They place them in windows and doorways, and it leads to meaningful dreams, not necessarily bad or good, but meaningful.”

The Leeds exhibition will run until July 5. For commissions, contact Jessica at jessica.alys@live.co.uk or phone 07533 127809.