An 82-year-old County Durham pensioner turned artist has been given a joyous surprise by her family to celebrate her exhibited artwork as well as her 55th wedding anniversary.

Barbara Hall, of Sedgefield, was stunned by her family this month after they arranged for her work to be shown in a special exhibition at The Manor House.

After originally being told she was heading out for a celebratory meal for her emerald wedding anniversary, Barbara found herself at her very own exhibition – as some of her paintings were snapped up by the public.

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The Northern Echo: Barbara (left) mingles with those attending her surprise art exhibition at The Manor House in SedgefieldBarbara (left) mingles with those attending her surprise art exhibition at The Manor House in Sedgefield (Image: RECOGNITION PR)

Barbara’s son, Sim Hall, has described his mother being “stunned and thrilled” at the experience that celebrated twelve years of her art.

He said: “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.”


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The 82-year-old has previously had her work exhibited alongside LS Lowry’s at MIMA, Middlesbrough, and in the gallery of Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

Barbara’s work is said to be most notable for her use of “striking colour” combined with her ability to cover a range of subjects from Teesside to the skies of Venice, Italy.