The exhibition, in the Bird Room and Gallery, will feature work of nine local artists and craftspeople who lease the studios on the top floor of the mansion. The six contemporary studios, created following the mansion’s refurbishment, are used to produce a variety of arts and crafts, including paintings, stained glass, pottery, ceramics, sculpture and new media.

Featured artists include Anne Eggebert who specialises in site-specific works and has made a new work 'At a Distance; dawn chorus'. This piece is inspired by the Mansion's Bird Room and an ongoing collaboration with Canadian artist Fae Logie.

Trudy Staines, a ceramic artist, has also used the mansion as inspiration in her new work, 'Stag Beetle Lacanus Cervus', which pulls ideas from her own garden, the mansion garden and technology bringing together mechanical components, ceramics and natural forms to create a piece that will interest visitors of all ages.

Sarah Partridge’s work features an estimated 5000 individually cut pieces to form an interpretation of micro mosaic, using iridised glass and porcelain, capturing the flight and spirit of dragonflies.

Jason Rose’s piece, ‘The Gift’ will also be displayed with a theme of growing up and things left behind from childhood.

Jason said, “Working at my studio has been very inspirational due to many things: the gorgeous view out of the window; my gifted and inspiring fellow artists; the evocative feeling of history that the entire building is imbued with; the helpful and friendly mansion staff; the chocolate chip cookies from the mansion cafe, and many more things. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to exhibit my piece alongside the others artists at the mansion.”

Other pieces include a stained glass light box and a gigantic mixed media Green Man.

The exhibition follows successful open studio days which have seen many visitors taking the opportunity to browse the workshops and meet the artists.

The exhibition will run until Sunday 14 February 2010. Valentines Mansion is open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from 11am to 4pm throughout the year. Entry to the mansion is free.