Every now and then an exhibition comes along that stands head and shoulders above the rest. You engage immediately, awestruck by what you see.

Such a show containing that special' ingredient is Ashley Turton's Non Verbal, running at the Brewery Arts Centre's Warehouse Gallery until March 7.

Ashley's paintings provide a powerful mix of oil, poster paints and chalk - challenging images drawn from the worlds of horror and the gremlins and demons from the darker side fantasy.

Some make you squirm, others compel you to look deeper.

What I wasn't prepared for was the depth, detail and sheer brilliance of Ashley's pencil drawings - ape-faced figures, futuristic frogs, air-borne creatures of all shapes and sizes and metallic warrior-like images straight out of science fiction landscapes.

Ashley has a wonderful creative gift; he also has Asperger's Syndrome and wants to contribute to a growing awareness and understanding of the syndrome, to lend a hand in changing attitudes and assumptions.

Asperger's is a form of autism which was first discovered during the 1950s but which apparently only received formal recognition as recently as the 1990s.

Asperger's often affects communication, social skills and imagination. There is no conclusion to its cause although evidence points at a genetic source. Hugely complex and affecting people in different ways, it is often described as a hidden disability' with few outward signs. Many with the syndrome are seen as badly behaved, rude or obnoxious.

Ashley is a well-mannered 19 year old, who chats openly about his love of surrealism and the artwork of Ian Miller who created book covers for the likes of Warhammer: Drachenfels and Shadow of the Seer and who won the British Science Fiction Award in 1990 for his visuals and computer games.

Walking around the exhibition, Ashley's mum Sandra can hardly contain her pride at seeing her son's art hanging on such illustrious walls: "His sketches and illustrations are amazing and special to me.

"As soon as he was old enough to walk he would wander around with a pad and pencil," she adds, and tells me she has always wanted to exhibit her son's work but didn't know how to go about it.

Living in Kendal with the Brewery on her doorstep, Sandra approached its visual arts officer Trevor Avery for advice. Trevor was so knocked out by Ashley's work he offered him a slot at the gallery: "I was staggered by Ashley's range and skills and I knew immediately we had something very special on our hands."

A former student of Sedbergh's Settlebeck High School, Ashley says his drawings are purely spontaneous: "I don't know what I'm about to draw until a second before I start drawing. I just put my pencil on the paper, wait a second and then it just comes out and I can't stop."

Non Verbal displays flashes of genius inherent in Ashley's work. It also taps into his sense of humour, surfacing in the likes of the caricature Presidents.

On opening night the Warehouse Gallery was bulging at the seams.

Art consultant and member of the South Lakeland Autism and Asperger's Syndrome Support Group Julie Tate told the gathering that Ashley and his family had had a very difficult journey and the exhibition was testament to their resolve and commitment, and that of their supporters.

She said Non Verbal demonstrated Ashley's unique talent and ensured that he and fellow Asperger's people were not overlooked and consigned to the social margins because they were different.

She added: "There are many examples of high achieving individuals who have transformed our perception of the world that have been regularly cited in relation to the syndrome, which supports this argument. Ashley's exhibition simply adds weight to it."

The Warehouse Gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1.30pm-5.30pm.

For further details contact 01539-725133.