THE borders are as important as the heart of the pictures in Jerry Scott’s solo exhibition of Smaller Paintings and Monoprint Collages at Stone Trough Books.

The North Yorkshire artist is exhibiting 50 works and a series of hand-made picture books, spread across the shelves, walls and tables on both floors of George Ramsden’s antiquarian bookshop in Walmgate, York.

Jerry is content for his works to stand on their own merits without accompanying explanatory notes.

However, he does provide an exhibition think piece entitled The Dark Glass and Letter Palace Paintings, A Note On Borders, explaining why borders are not merely an adjunct but still have a noble role to play in the “colour dialogue” between the work and its borders.

“In many strands of vanguard European and American painting of the 20th century, there has been a tendency to dismiss borders as ‘mere decorative irrelevance’, with the result that borders and other embellishments have been denied a proper role,” he says.

“Demoted from the realms of fine art, they have been either cast out into an amorphous low-art outer darkness or relegated to a specially created, discrete sub-zone: graphic design. Being largely spurious divisions, their existence has by and large impoverished both disciplines.”

Jerry is delighted to be showing his artwork at Stone Trough, often against a backdrop of book spines, with an open fire grate adding warmth to the compact bookshop.

“This is the first time I’ve exhibited in George’s bookshop, and it’s easily the nicest-looking venue that I’ve shown in,” he says.

“I think it makes the art more accessible, as people have bookcases at home and can imagine these works in their rooms, whereas galleries can be off-putting in their sparseness.”

The bookshop’s design influenced Jerry’s choice of artwork for the show. “Knowing the space, I’ve focused on smaller paintings and monoprints; in fact I’ve never had so many small pieces in one exhibition,” says Jerry, who selected where to place each work in tandem with George.

“The bookshop suits the work really well and the lighting works very well with the paintings too. We’ve dotted them around the two floors in a very informal way, and though you can worry that you’re cramming too many together, actually they’re all singing together.”

The bordered monoprint collages on the shelves are combined with paintings on canvas and board on the walls, including three larger works. “I don’t often get the chance to exhibit the canvas pieces, but everything works nicely when grouped together,” says Jerry.

All the works have been created this year, a year when he has been prolific. “I like to be productive. You can very easily say ‘I’m an artist’ and not produce anything, but when you’re within sniffing distance of the finishing line, then you want to be very productive,” he says.

The new collages have been created from sheets of paper, selected from 50 or 60 swatches designed by Jerry. The effect of the layering reminds him of little jewels.

“These paintings are very dense, very vibrant, like the artwork in illustrated manuscripts,” he says. “They’re reminiscent of the illuminated initial letters you see in those manuscripts with their highly coloured decoration.”

These works have “zero literary content”. “They’re entirely visual,” says Jerry. “There’s a temptation among articulate artists to want to write things into their paintings, but that’s something I’ve resisted.

“If it’s really necessary for there to be a literary explanation, then a painting is probably badly adrift.”

• Jerry Scott’s exhibition will run at Stone Tough Books, Walmgate, York, until Christmas and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm. His work is for sale at £140 to £850.