TWO self-taught Preston artists are to have a brush with fame after being spotted by a curator from a major London gallery.

As a result of their artwork on show across the Fylde, Dave Crossley and Pete Ball have been commissioned to produce a masterpiece for a major exhibition at the prestigious Tate Britain gallery.

Partners, Dave and Pete of Wet Paint, Fylde Road Industrial Estate, have just completed a mural for Tate Britain -- one of the UKs flagship galleries.

Their seven-foot work-of-art will be part of New British Art 2000: Intelligence, the first in a series of contemporary art exhibitions, which opens at the gallery on Thursday (July 6).

Their masterpiece, however, will not be gracing the foyer or taking pride of place in the central exhibition hall. This northern art work is an innovative and creative exit sign.

Dave Crossley, who lives in Preston, explains how they came to be discovered by the Tate.

"Buyers for the exhibition saw the murals we had created on Blackpool's South Pier," he said. "They were very impressed so they tracked us down via burger bars and amusement rides. "We have always seen ourselves more as artists than sign writers so we were very flattered to be commissioned.

"The exhibition is all about seeing the world in a different light.

"The buyers obviously wanted to ensure every detail was given an artistic treatment."

The mural is seven feet tall and six feet wide. It shows a furious and fierce gargoyle in 3D relief, with menacing eyes and flared nostrils. Inside the gargoyle's mouth is scrawled the word 'exit' and tell tale scratch marks where some more soul has attempted escape!

It will be placed on the exit doors of the exhibition.

The Wet Paint creation has been collected by the Tate and will be carefully transported to London in an airtight container.