Harrogate woman is chosen as official Tour de Yorkshire artist

This is why you might see film crews around the Harrogate district this weekClaire Baxter, of Claire Baxter Fine Arts, has been commissioned to create a number of pieces to promote the Tour across the year.

The cycling event returns to the region in May for four days and although the races miss much of our district, the Stage Four Mens Race will pass through Pateley Bridge and Greenhow Hill on Sunday, May 3.

Claire, who will keep the Official Artist title until December, is now starting to work on the pieces, which will be used by Welcome to Yorkshire to show off the beauty of the area.

James Mason, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Claire is one of our county’s best artistic talents and we’re delighted to be working with her on this year’s Tour de Yorkshire.

“Her works really stand out from the crowd and we’re all looking forward to seeing her bright and colourful cycling-themed creations.”

As the event nears, Claire says she is excited - if a little nervous - about the challenge and has been out driving the cycling route to get some inspiration for her Yorkshire-based artwork.

She said: “We live in such a beautiful place and this is what I do - my work always shows off the best of Yorkshire, so it’s an honour to do that on this scale.”

Claire was chosen for the role after a rigorous application process, where she had to display her work, explain how she would market it and give ideas for future projects.

The images, which will be revealed in March, will be used in the Welcome to Yorkshire marketing campaign for the Tour, along with Claire’s details.

She will be at the finish line each day with her creations on display, which will all be up for sale.

Claire said she is extremely proud to have been chosen for the position and is looking forward to the benefits it will have for Pateley, Nidderdale and the Harrogate district as a whole.

She added: “This is bonkers. It’s just great - I love it.

“I started by showing off my work in Valley Gardens, so to go from that to this is amazing, it’s a dream come true. It shows that hard work really pays off. I think this is a great way of putting Pateley on the map.

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"There are so many artists here and this will really attract people to the area.”