Or a Parson Cross Tracey Emin arrived with an unmade bed?

"If it got through the selection process it would be put up," says Michael Fearne, the organiser.

"We'd love a Hirst or an Emin. It would get people thinking."

Then, as if he's about the open the floodgates. "But we'd draw the line at a pile of bricks."

It is unlikely that will happen. Exhibitors at the GSAS, the city's answer to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, don't go in for that kind of thing.

They are mainly amateurs and semi-professionals and while the 1,400 paintings are less and less chocolate box these days you sense they cock a collective snook at the the more advanced legions of the art establishment.

In any case, apart from the abstracts, Sheffield doesn't really do modern art.

There was a large painting at a previous show which Michael can only describe as "macabre" and colleague Phil Lockwood recalls "a big Dali-esque canvas at the entrance two years ago." But no one was tempted by the £2,000 price tag.

The chances are that if you paint something the judges will show it. This year they only rejected 200 exhibits.

"We try and get as many as we possibly can. It's the whole ethos of the show but we have to bear mind that quality counts," says Phil's wife Ruth.

The exhibition, at the Octagon Centre from Friday and all weekend, is now in its 21st year. It's a big deal on the artistic calendar. Going on past years, some 6,000 visitors will be paying to see it and a substantial proportion of the exhibits, minimum price £35, will be sold.

"If they didn''t we couldn't afford to carry on," says Ruth.

The show has given a leg up to artists over the years, some of whom have turned semi-professional.

The success of the show, now in its 21st year, has spawned a whole series of imitators and, ironically, that means Michael has to battle hard to get exhibits, which might go elsewhere.

He sent out 2,500 invitations to exhibit this year but accepted work by 600 artists. A lot of them were too busy.

Michael knows how it is. So was he. He was too busy organising the show.

Open Friday 10am -9pm, Sat and Sun 10am-6pm. Tickets £4.50 for adults ( £4 concessions, accompanied children free. Visit www.gsas.co.uk



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