A NEW art gallery at Cotehele, featuring a variety of paintings, prints sculpture, ceramics, glass, country crafts and textiles will open to visitors on Sunday.

An exhibition called Spring will launch the 2004 season for Cotehele?s newly re-located fine art and craft gallery.

The exhibition of paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, glass, country crafts and textiles devoted to the imagery of spring, with featured guest artists Phillippa de Burlet, Shirley Harrell, Dillon Rudge, Katie Lake, Sarah Vivian, Will Shakespeare and Mary Goldberg. Plus the Gallery?s own regular artists and craftspeople.

The Gallery has been moved from its old site on Cotehele Quay to the East Range Drawing Room in Cotehele House, opening up this beautiful and historic room for daily public access.

The launch exhibition is the first of seven themed collections of fine art at Cotehele this year. The Gallery remains committed to showcasing talented artists and makers from the West Country, with occasional exhibitors from further afield.

Jennifer Bailey, Cotehele Gallery Organiser said: ?The decision to have a gallery at Cotehele was taken over 10 years ago. Since then exhibitions of art and craft have been very much a part of the many visitor attractions at the property.

?Sited until November last year on Cotehele Quay by the River Tamar, the Gallery has always been popular with local art-lovers.

?But because of its remoteness from the main focus of the property, it was missed by a significant number of the 90,000 visitors who annually visit the House and Garden. Relocating will enable more visitors to enjoy some of the West Country?s finest art,? she said.

?The Gallery?s team of National Trust Volunteers and I are looking forward to exhibiting many new artists and makers from the West Country and also to giving our long-term contributing artists a more exciting and dynamic venue for their work.

?Our ambitious programme of seven exhibitions this year will show just what we can do!?

The exhibition runs to April 28.