An artist from Fleet found herself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tracey Emin after her painting was chosen to feature in the prestigious Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London.

Linda Gresham, of Westbury Close, Fleet, was flabbergasted when her painting of an English bull terrier, entitled Red Sky At Night, was chosen from around 10,000 entries to be among those featured in the annual arts exhibition.

Dog lover Linda was invited to attend a special gathering in London followed by a champagne reception at the Academy, also attended by famous artists such as Emin and Guss Cummins, who chose her painting to be part of his gallery.

To top it all, her painting was sold to a London buyer before the exhibition even went public.

Mrs Gresham, who says she still only paints as a hobby when she gets the time, said: “It was amazing to be chosen for the exhibition from so many entries.

“It’s such a confidence boost and I’ll definitely be entering again next year.”

Mrs Gresham has not found much time to paint since she became the proud owner of a springer spaniel called Horrible Harry.

She said: “He’s so naughty that I just haven’t had the chance!”

Mrs Gresham began painting with the Jean Claydon Art Group in Fleet about 12 years ago, and since then has exhibited at small exhibitions and has sold several artworks.

This is her first showing at a major national exhibition but hopefully not her last.

On Tuesday Linda had some more exciting news – she has been invited to exhibit her work at the Chase Childrens Hospice Contemporary Art Show at the Royal College Of Art on November  6.

“This came about as a result of my one painting being shown at the Royal Academy summer exhibition,” she said.
“I’m over the moon, I will have to knuckle down and do some work towards it!”

The Royal Academy summer exhibition will run until August 15.