A PENSIONER from Harrow will see her art work displayed at a national exhibition this month after she was nominated for a prestigious award.
Rosalind Avadis's piece 'A Cheeky Little Girl' has been selected for The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists' RBSA Gallery after the 89-year-old's work was shortlisted for an EAC art award.
The award celebrates the artistic talents of older people and despite only picking up a paintbrush for the first time in her 60s Mrs Avadis, of Gayton Road, Harrow, would recommend the hobby to other pensioners.
The grandmother-of-four said: “I would definitely tell other people to start doing it. I only really started painting in my 60s, sometime after my husband died in 1972. I just decided to join a class and went on to do an O-Level and an A-Level and get good results in both.
“The picture that has been selected for the gallery is a picture of one of my carers granddaughters, which I didn't actually think was that good. I had to have two operations on my eyes while I was in the middle of painting it so I was surprised when everyone told me it was marvellous.
“I tend to do watercolours and mainly portraits and I have paintings in my flat of the Queen and Boy George and even Alan Sugar. He always seems to be looking at me but fortunately he isn't telling me I'm fired. As long as my children and grandchildren are happy then I am happy, and they always seem to be pleased when I paint another picture.
“It's nice to have the picture put in a gallery and it proves that you are never too old to have hobbies or to enjoy something. I feel like I am 21 when I paint and I always recommend others to start painting and have even being trying to help others get started.”
More than 100 pieces of artwork will be hung in the Birmingham based gallery for the event which takes place from May 10 to May 21 and one of the judges, Diana Moran, said: “This competition demonstrates that people over the age of 60 have just as much to offer as younger artists.”
