THEY CAME, they saw, they bought some of the line drawings. More than

5000 people paid a visit to the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock where

artists Peter Howson and Iain McColl staged an exhibit of war work from

Bosnia.

But no-one, as yet, has paid out the #18,000 needed to buy one of

Howson's mighty oil paintings. A number of corporate buyers have been

scouting around but have yet to make a move.

David Bett, the institute's arts and museum development officer said

the it had purchased a number of drawings from both artists, and members

of the public had snapped up several prints and pastel drawings priced

at around #250.

Bett said the show had been well-received despite its often

gut-wrenching imagery and there had been no complaints about the works

on display. ''Yes, the subject matter is quite violent, but both artists

can sometimes combine both softness and violence in their work.''

The exhibition, which contains more than 80 works and 12 large oils,

closed on March 4, and it will now tour round the UK and overseas in the

coming months, with the first date at Dundee Art Gallery on Monday.

Howson, the official UK war artist to Bosnia, had proposed a joint

show with McColl who had accompanied him through the horrors of Bosnia

with a video camera.