BLOSSOMING York artist Natalie Ward is accompanying her new exhibition of mixed-media paintings, The Tempest, with a soundscape by David Lawrie at Pyramid Gallery from this weekend.

The sight-and-sound experience opens at Terry Brett’s gallery in Stonegate, York, tomorrow at the suggestion of Lawrie, a music producer and musician from Easingwold who works in Britain, Switzerland and New York after studying for an MA in music production with musicology at Leeds College of Music.

“The exhibition was first proposed to me by David, who was composing the soundtrack for the Tempest project,” says gallery owner Terry Brett.

“I’m attracted to the concept of music and art together and knowing of David’s talents at music composition, I offered the two artists an exhibition as soon as I saw the paintings, which are uncomplicated yet expressive and atmospheric portrayals of stormy seas and skies.”

Terry describes David’s composition as an avant-garde impression of a building storm.

“The composition is constructed from white noise that David has contrived into musical sounds, using a complicated process involving innovative use of computer software,” he says. “It’s a beautifully awesome effect with powerful rhythmic sections that contrast with the calm introduction.”

Natalie studied illustration design at the University of Derby, from where she graduated in 2005 after specialising in multi-media abstract collages, and she now works as a volunteer for York Museums Trust.

Her artwork is inspired by themes of an imaginary and surreal context. In the case of The Tempest, she has created images relating to the beginning of Shakespeare’s last completed play, in which a vengeful duke, Prospero, brews up a chaotic storm at sea, drawing shipwrecked sailors on to the island that he shares with his daughter Miranda, his magic spirit Ariel and the truculent slave Caliban.

“Although most of the pictures are inspired by a somewhat stormy and turbulent sea, I’ve also included the relevant theme of love in The Kiss, which depicts a calm and tranquil environment to portray the happier-themed ending for the main characters in the play,” says Natalie, whose paintings employ a mixed-media palette of inks, acrylics, photography and collage.

Images of Ariel, to convey the play’s theme of magical influence, and the island, to contrast with the storm imagery, also feature in The Tempest, whose run will begin with tomorrow’s wine reception from 11am to 2.30pm when artist and composer will be in attendance.

The exhibition will then be open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 4.30pm on Sundays, until August 30. Copies of David Lawrie’s soundtrack CD will be available at £5.