A 90-YEAR-old Carbrooke artist who has been painting for the past five decades is to have her work celebrated in a special exhibition of her work.

A 90-YEAR-old Carbrooke artist who has been painting for the past five decades is to have her work celebrated in a special exhibition of her work.

Enid, A Tribute Exhibition for Wayland Artist Enid Clarke, is being held at the Dragonfly Gallery, in Wayland House, Watton, from today until Tuesday.

Mrs Clarke moved with her family to Carbrooke when she was a little girl and the village has been her home ever since.

Her parents ran the post office in the days when every village had one and Mrs Clarke grew up happily with her sisters Betty and Norah and her brothers Geoffrey and Brian.

During the second world war Mrs Clarke went to Peterborough to do factory work before returning to Carbrooke, and in August 1950 she married Jack Clarke.

Together they raised their two sons, Paul and John, and once they were at school Mrs Clarke, by now in her 40s, took up painting, learning at a local art group and exhibiting in local exhibitions.

In the 1980s a friend persuaded Mrs Clarke to join her in miniature classes in Norwich. Her work quickly became popular locally and over the years her work has frequently been accepted for the Royal Miniature Society's annual exhibition.

Since 1987 Mrs Clarke's paintings have appeared regularly in the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibitions.

Among Mrs Clarke's other artistic accolades are:

1989 - The Rose Bowl Award for Best Miniature from the Society of Miniaturists in Yorkshire

1990 - Gold Bowl Honourable Mention from the Royal Miniature Society

1997 - Certificate of Excellence for an Outstanding Set of Miniatures from the Llewellyn Alexander's Exhibition of 800 works.

1999 - Runner-up for Best Set of Six Miniatures in the Royal Miniature Society Annual Exhibition

2000 - Invited Exhibitor at the World Exhibition of Miniatures, Tasmania, Australia

2004 - Exhibited in the World Exhibition of Miniatures at the Smithsonian Complex, Washington DC, USA

The exhibition is being officially opened this afternoon. It will be open to the public from 2.30pm until 4pm today and from 10am until 4pm tomorrow, Friday, Monday and Tuesday. On Saturday, it will be open from 10am until 1pm.