For years would-be artists have been advised to put their fanciful dreams back in the paint box and seek "proper" employment. But you have to wonder, does this advice still stand?
Naomi Walker, who is currently in the throes of a dramatic career change, has been enjoying success with her first solo exhibition at The Alnwick Garden.
Just two days into her show, which is due to finish at teatime today, she had already sold 11 of the 38 paintings on display under her chosen theme of the four seasons.
Planners are facing a raft of bids to erect giant wind turbines in the Northumberland countryside as the so-called "gold rush" to generate renewable energy continues.
Green power company RES is the latest to seek permission for a new wind farm in the county - which already has 14 installed turbines and a further 45 approved but not yet built.
RES has submitted an application to erect nine turbines, each 127m high, at Park Head Farm, 10km north-west of Morpeth and close to the villages of Wingates and Netherwitton.
Guided walks will give nature-lovers the chance to discover the hidden secrets of the region's forests.
Mushrooms and toadstools are shooting up across the North East, after recent rainfall followed by sunshine, which are the ideal conditions for fungi growing.
The Forestry Commission is holding events to teach people how to hunt for rare varieties of mushroom, including the brilliant red Fly agaric, and the yellow Chicken fungus.
After a packed summer of family events around Northumberland, the final weekend of the summer holidays is beckoning, with another busy programme across the county.
The event likely to attract the biggest crowd is the Glendale Show (pictured), now in its 117th year, featuring a host of rural attractions and stalls. Spectacular carriage driving and falconry displays and a Ready Steady Cook style cooking competition are some of the highlights of the event on Bank Holiday Monday.
In the bottom corner of the county on the same day, Blanchland & Hunstanworth Show (see link below) will be taking place, and two days before on Saturday Bellingham will also be welcoming visitors to its Show to take part and watch various traditional competitions.
Pupils at King Edward VI High School in Morpeth were celebrating excellent GCSE results yesterday.
Talented rugby player Ben Carvin, 16, pictured, of Longframlington, attained four A*s and six As. He said: "I didn't want to get my hopes up too high and I am very happy with the results.
"I will be studying geography, biology, chemistry and maths in the sixth form and hope to go to university. I am planning to take a gap year first because I want to go to New Zealand for the rugby world cup in 2011. That is a big ambition of mine."
A new look for Northumberland online is being fronted by TV presenter Wendy Gibson.
The BBC personality features in a video on Northumberland Tourism's relaunched website, offering potential visitors to the region a virtual tour of some of its highlights.
Among the sites explored from spectacular aerial views are Hadrian's Wall, Bamburgh Castle, Berwick, and Lindisfarne.
A major review of local government boundaries in Northumberland is entering its second phase.
The Boundary Committee for England has started a second round of public consultation on future arrangements for the county's new unitary council.
The main purpose of the review is to ensure "electoral equality" following the restructuring of local government last year.
Golfers will be getting into the swing of things for a worthy cause in Northumberland.
Momentum North East, formerly Rehab UK, is holding a golf day and race night at Macdonald Linden Hall, Golf and Country Club to raise much-needed funds for its brain injury rehabilitation centre in Melbourne Street, Newcastle.
Momentum North East provides a wide range of services to people with brain injuries which help them to regain their independence and move into employment, education, or further training.
Grey squirrels will be extinct in Northumberland by the end of next year, campaigners say.
A week of action by the Red Squirrel Protection Partnership invited people all over the county to report their sightings of greys.
The RSPP has trapped and shot more than 23,000 grey squirrels in the last two-and-a-half years, as part of a drive to protect native red squirrels.
The controversial cull has divided opinion, but those behind it say if it had not taken place the native red squirrel would already have died out.
A pilot who cheated death in three flying accidents has been told by doctors he will never fly again.
Jim Martin, who has flown for the Great North Air Ambulance and the police, was at the controls of his microlight aircraft when the tail fell off after a bolt snapped.
The aircraft plunged 1,000ft to the ground near Burgham Park Golf Course, north of Morpeth, in December 2007.
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