Tait gallery opens at Christies!

Artist Eileen Tait , left, making a gift of her paintings to The Christie at Oldham with Julie Davies, lead radiographer, Bob Tait and Kelly Holt, senior radiographer

THE Christie at Oldham radiotherapy centre has got its own Tait gallery.

But that’s Tait as in Chadderton artist Eileen Tait — not as in Tate Modern!

The 79-year-old, whose lifelong passion for painting culminated in her gaining a Higher National Diploma in fine art from Oldham College at the age of 73, has donated five of her finest works to the centre.

The mother-of-six chose paintings of the four seasons and one of an abstract design called Above the Clouds to hand over as a gift.

And she is now looking for other worthy causes to give a home to the rest of her paintings in the hope it will encourage her to pick up her paintbrush once more.

Grandmother Eileen, of St George’s Square, Chadderton, explained: “The paintings were on display in the Barn Owl restaurant at Oldham College, and I got them back when it closed.

“They were just in the house, I’m past exhibiting, and I thought they could do some good somewhere.”

Eileen, who currently has a painting of a Scottish scene on display at Gallery Oldham, plans to approach organisations like hospitals, hospices and care homes to ask if they would like to display some of her work.

“I have got plenty of paintings to give away, and I thought if I can do some good with them it might start me painting again,” she said.