ARTISTS will display their work as Barleylands Craft Village launches its third art trail.

The event, starting on Friday, August 3, runs for a month at the venue in Billericay and will give artists an attractive arena in which to to display their talents.

The trail began three years ago as part of the A127 trail, but has split this year to go it alone as organisers felt it was easier to mange things via smaller committees.

The popularity of the trail in previous years should mean a busy month for Barleylands as art lovers flock to check out the work on offer.

Art trail organiser Dean Smith is looking forward to the launch.

He jokes: “This is the third year Barleylands Craft Village has been part of the art trail and the first year it has held its own trail – we decided to extend it to run for the whole of August, so as not to overshadow the Olympics!”

Barleylands is home to more than 60 art and craft studios, 20 of which will be host venues for local artists.

This year’s exhibits include a wide variety of paintings, photography and sculpture from both professionals and amateurs.

To coincide with the art trail, an exhibition of children’s artwork created by youngsters who attend art classes at Barleylands will be on display in the Courtyard Tearooms in the craft village.

Trail maps are available at all the studios and local libraries, as well as information stands throughout the borough.

For more information, call the art trail team on 01268 522973, or visit www.art-trail-barleylands.com