I was born and bred in the North East of England, where I have lived all my life, apart from my Foundation Year at Brighton Polytechnic. (It was as far away from home I could possibly get without actually crossing the Channel!).
Then I got engaged at the very young age of 20 and came back. They say Geordies always ‘come home’.

I completed a Degree in Fine Art, (Painting), at Newcastle Polytechnic in 1974, and then went on to do a PGCE at Newcastle University. (What else do you do with a Degree in Fine Art?!).
I got married, had 2 children, got divorced, remarried, had another child and gained a stepson. I am now, reluctantly at first, granny to Will.

I have taught in schools throughout the region, mainly French, (it’s a long story), then Special Needs, but latterly Art.
Thanks to this, my passion for Art has been rekindled and I have decided to put my God-given talents (artist, communicator, Geordie-girl), to better use by creating this website to promote the huge amount of artistic talent in my beloved North East. And I’m starting to find out just HOW much talent there is!

There are literally hundreds of artists and that’s only in the close vicinity. This website will cover the area from the Humber up to the Borders. And what’s exciting me is that the art being produced is of a very high quality, and yet is reasonably priced. ‘Art for all’ is a very real concept and I intend to really push that!

The North East is a special place and I feel extremely proud to be from here. We have wonderful scenery, fantastic architecture, both old and new, great cultural venues and events.
Some people, however, find themselves living and working away from the region – my daughter is in New Zealand training to be a nurse, and my very good friend’s daughter and husband are there too. I gave them one of my pictures (Seascape and Sand Dunes, Beadnell) as a wedding present and their thank you letter sums it up – ‘It really reminds us of the dunes back home’!

Another of my pictures, ‘Storm Brewing’ is in New York, sent as a wedding anniversary gift from a mum to her daughter who used to spend her summer hols at Beadnell.

Absent Geordies love to have something to remind them of home, and I have had numerous requests to provide them with art works depicting or connected with the region. My intention is to address the ex-pat markets around the world and thus provide our artists with the opportunity to ‘go international’!

Finally – some thankyou’s
To my brilliant web designers/builders  (The Images Group), – we’ve had, and still are, having a giggle
To my ever patient, loving and supportive husband Peter
To my children for their IT skills, love and ideas
To Erin, my daughter-in-law for suggesting I do this in the first place. She’s an interior designer, check her out at www.alexander-whitedesignltd.com
And to all those artists without whom this wouldn’t be possible!

Pauline