ALREADY something of a tradition, for the sixth in its series of exhibitions, New Beginnings, at the Porthminster Gallery in St Ives not only celebrates spring but also presents works by nine artists new to the gallery.

A merry mix of emerging and established artists, and of paintings, sculptures and ceramics,

Lamorna's Paul Armitage, studio assistant to the eminent St Ives painter Sandra Blow RA until she died in 2006, and later painting tutor for the Foundation course at Basingstoke College, finds inspiration for his abstracted, constructional paintings in the land and seascapes of West Cornwall.

These compositions owe much to the farms, abandoned mines and quarries and long skylines, helped by his practice of building-up and scouring away layers of paint, they reflect the forces of erosion and deposition that shape the landscape.

Carol Hosking-Smith who lives and works in St Ives, studied art and design at Reigate, Croydon and Chelsea Schools of Art. She completed her post-graduate studies at the Central School of Art followed by part-time fine art at St Martin's, and since academia has been a textile designer, freelance painter, illustrator and designer.

She has produced commissions in the UK and from France and Germany to America and Japan, among them one which included four large collages for the Frankfurt Design Fair in 2001.

Although he has lived and worked in France for the past two years Simon Stooks still finds inspiration for his paintings in this part of the world.

Born in Dorset, he studied at Falmouth School of Art where he gained a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art, and has since exhibited extensively.

Known for his paintings of the rooftops of St Ives, juxtaposed with the sea and the town, he said: "I've always admired the work of Alfred Wallis, his naïve and playful approach, and I identify with the emotional content and essence of memory in his paintings." Julia Wilson studied at Wimbledon School of Art and since graduating in 1993 has been part of exhibitions and art fairs at various venues. The effect that colour has on space, imagination, and sense are central to all she does.

Ceramics with a difference come from Kate Almond, who, inspired by nostalgia, old paper ephemera and vintage textiles, produces hand-made porcelain vessels that combine drawings and text with collaged images and pattern details.

Inspired by the Cornish coast and landscape, Rachel Foxwell comes up with contemplative delicate and distinctive earthenware vessels, while Stephanie Pace, whose studio is near St Ives presents a new range of slab-built porcelain objects entitled Cube & Bottle with homage to the 1950s.

The young Somerset-born sculptor Geoff Jeal works mainly in stone and his chief interest lies in depicting natural forms in a state of flux. One who has worked with such international sculptors as Hamish Mackie and Bridget McCrum, his new collection is a series of smaller table-top bronze pieces.

A recent graduate from University College, Falmouth, Mirjana Smith is represented by a selection of quirky and witty examples of assemblage art. Constructed from second-hand and discarded utilitarian objects, she not only enjoys engaging with the illusion of function but manages to do so with maximum effect. New Beginnings is free and can be seen in the Porthminster Gallery, St Ives, 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, until March 24.

Gallery manager Claire Pearce with Clouds by sculptor Geoff Jeal, in front of paintings by Julia Wilson.