A COTSWOLD artist is staging an exhibition of her life's works - 60 years of paintings.

As part of the event Gill Holloway will sell some of her works to raise money for medical aid in Third World countries.

Gill, 78, from Condicote, is holding the retrospective exhibition at the Swell Gallery in Upper Swell to celebrate six decades of painting.

An auction is being held at the gallery for anyone who wishes to buy a painting.

The sale will be dealt with by way of a silent auction after the exhibition closes and visitors are invited to enter sealed bids throughout for anything that takes their fancy.

All of the proceeds from the auction will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres, a charity that provides emergency medical aid to third world countries.

Gill said: "I am particularly interested in Medecins Sans Frontieres because my grandmother was one of their first doctors.

"If I can make some money out of my rather luxurious subject I want to give it to those less fortunate."

Originally from Durham, Gill moved south in 1969 and became head of art history at Cheltenham Ladies College.

After retiring in 1988 she has had time to travel and paint an recently took a trip to Iceland.

There will be over 200 paintings at the unique exhibiton.

Gill said: "It is a very big exhibition and has some of my early work in it.

"I have changed my style over the years but I am mainly a landscape painter and I prefer the modern, abstract painting."

She has become heavily involved in portraiture and has painted faces from all over the world.

She added: "I am very concerned that people these days do not communicate visually because of new machines like telephones and computers.

"I wanted to show how much people communicate with their face."

The exhibition will be held from April 21-24 daily and bidding for any of the works closes at 3pm on the last day.