AN ARTIST who fell in love with the area after years of teaching and exhibiting art across the world is to show off her work in Oswestry.

Margaret Charman will hold a solo exhibition at the Willow Gallery, in Willow Street, from Saturday, March 12 until Saturday, April 30, with around 45 works on show.

Margaret, born, raised and educated in art in South Africa, says the work on show has become extremely personal after lockdown, drawing motivation from her own environment.

"I do everything except landscape and I used all different methods, so there'll be a mix of styles at the exhibition," she said.

"I like painting gardens too – since lockdown, I have been enjoying using my own environment such as my own house, my own garden.

"I am very keen on gardening so I paint a lot of them.

"For my work, I use everything – there'll be drawings and I will have a lot on display, about 45 works.

"It's my second exhibition at Willow gallery ass I have been showing works there for the last 10 years."

Margaret lives in Oswestry after downsizing from her Llansilin home, where she moved to after visiting on and off for many years, but has worked in London and South Africa.

She has also been a headteacher at an art school in Cheshire and in Wirral before she took early retirement in 1991 to take up full-time painting.

She added: "I have been an artist for all of my life, ever since I was able to pick up a pencil.

"I've exhibited all over the UK and I have works in South Africa, in Europe and in the USA, and I've shown in London at the Royal Exchange and in West End galleries too.

"I came to Great Britain in 1965 and it was 'Swinging London' where I had great fun but I ran out of money and had to go back into teaching in London.

"One Christmas I came to Llansilin and fell in love with it, so bought a cottage as a holiday home and came up here full time."

On opening day, there will be between 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, to ‘meet the artist’.