Populus Select

The family of a talented local artist arranged a surprise public exhibition of her work at The Manor House in Sedgefield as part of her 55^th wedding anniversary celebrations.

Barbara Hall, who has been married to husband Mike since 1968, only took up painting at the age of 70 and previously has had her work exhibited alongside LS Lowry at MIMA, Middlesbrough, and at the gallery at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

Her family initially told Barbara, from Sedgefield, that were going for a meal to mark the couple’s emerald anniversary before admitting the truth and whisking her off to her very own Manor House exhibition – with several pieces being bought by members of the public.

Barbara’s work is notable through a striking use of colour and an ability to portray such a range of subjects, from Teesside’s industrial heritage to the skies of Venice.

Her son Sim Hall described the 82-year-old as being both “stunned and thrilled”.

He added: “The paintings were all produced by Barbara since her retirement, despite her insistence that up until that point that she was unable to draw!

“We wanted to showcase her talent by inviting the public, together with our friends and family, to explore this sample of her artwork in the wonderful setting of The Manor House in Sedgefield.”

ENDS

Captions

Image 1: Barbara (left) mingles with those attending her surprise art exhibition at The Manor House in Sedgefield

Image 2: Barbara and Mike Hall arrive at the art exhibition with sons Sim (left) and Jon (right)