IT HAS been a year since Windermere's Miller Howe hotel installed its very own artist in residence.

Four seasons later and both artist and hotel are in fine form, writes Jennie Dennett.

Painter Robin Dale's undimmed enthusiasm for the post is evident from the outset.

"We had an autumn and a winter like no other.

Autumn fruits and snow! I have never seen that before.

That was simply spectacular," he says as his eyes drift back to look again at the hotel's spectacular vista across the sparkling waters of Windermere to the Langdale Pikes.

Hotel proprietor Charles Garside could not have hoped to find a more willing artisan to fill the residency brief of capturing the changing light, colour and scenery of the hotel's views, its garden and the surrounding country.

And the deal has worked out neatly all round.

For the hotel there has been a permanent display of original painting in the conservatory, a display that has opened access to the hotel's spectacular vantage point since visitors can pop-in to look at the works without having to be a resident or a dinner guest.

For Dale, a painter with an impressive pedigree of landscape art, it has provided him with exhibition space, access to the mountains and a chance to hold an open dialogue with his audience.

"It is great to meet people and get people talking about art.

They've never seen an artist in a hotel before.

Often, they don't actually see things, so I'm here to sharpen their vision."

Throughout the project there have been exhibitions of Dale's work.

Presently, to coincide with the Lake District Summer Music Festival, the Miller Howe view has been immortalised in four collage murals across the four seasons.

Dale has also produced paintings of the collages in progress to stimulate that dialogue he is keen to have with the hotel visitors.

Indeed, the residency experiment has gone so swimmingly that Garside has now launched painting courses complete with slap-up three course lunches.

"It's where the palette meets the plate," he says pithily, after all, what else would you expect from a man who used to be editor of The European.

The happy union of artist and hotel looks set to continue long into the future.

l The four seasons murals are currently on display at The Miller Howe Country House Hotel, Rayrigg Road, Windermere (tel: 015394-42536).

Robin Dale can be found at the hotel every Saturday.