The art world can seem a mysterious and even comical place, full of beret-wearers with goatee beards gathering around the gallery fire extinguisher by mistake.

But it doesn't have to be this way . . .

I went to visit Derek Lopez, who runs the Norman Cross Gallery in (surprise) Norman Cross, who is passionate about making art accessible to all and demystifying something that can often seem elitist.

The gallery is a wonderful space, one which Derek has run for some five years now, with exhibitions featuring everything from conceptual work to an exhibition of aeroplane paintings.

Despite being knowledgeable about art, Derek says he's no expert, and as a lighting engineer by trade, is refreshingly modest about what he knows and what he doesn't.

"My favourite thing about running the gallery is the opporunity to show people around and talk about the exhibitions we have here," he said.

"The people who come here are completely across the board – we get a lot of people who have recently moved to the area who have an interest in art and are pleased the gallery is here, but we also get a lot of people who aren't necessarily interested in art but they are curious."

Derek said many people he encounters are intimidated about the idea of visiting a gallery.

"I can see why some people might be a little worried about coming to this kind of place, but I can only assure people that there's nothing to be worried about – you do not need a degree, any kind of qualifications or specialist knowledge to enjoy something like art."

There have been countless tomes on the appreciation of every kind of art written down the years, but Derek thinks all is needed are one's eyes.

"I've said this to a number of people, but all you need to do is to look . . . you only need to take the time to stand back and enjoy something for what it is."

Derek pointed to a piece of work he has in the gallery, a bronze-coloured, abstract cityscape entitled Metropolis.

"There will be people who will look at this and it won't be their thing, but there will be others that will love it," he said.

"The first thing to enjoying art is to not spend time worrying about whether you are supposed to like it – there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying something isn't to your taste."

Derek admits he is more of a fan of paintings than of conceptual work, and a look around the gallery reveals a diverse group of woodcuts, glasswork and oils.

He said reading up on a subject brings a lot of pleasure to him, but that this is not a prerequisite to enjoying the work on display.

"I think the most important aspect of appreciating art is to first appreciate the way it can work as a springboard to talking about all kinds of other things – your appreciation doesn't have to begin and end with the piece itself."