FOR an artist who first expressed her creative streak carving the bathroom soap as a child, the opening of a new exhibition on Canvey was a special moment for Sue Foulger.

The 49-year-old mum of four, from Surig Road, Canvey, has dreamed of becoming an artist since she was 11 and has always been an active painter and sculptor.

But it was only after graduating from East London University with a degree in Fine Art last June she has the confidence to go professional.

Serendipity, the exhibition which opened at the Karslake Centre at Cornelius Vermuyden School and Arts College, Third Avenue, showcases a selection of Sue's work.

A mixture of the traditional and modern and featuring everything from ceramics and portraiture to sculpture and more contemporary style of painting the exhibition proves her wide range of talent.

Sue said: "I never know what I want to do, whether I should pick up my paint brush or my chisel.

"I am driven by the desire to create something and to share my vision with somebody else."

Despite a burning interest in art as a young woman Sue never considered studying art on leaving school as it was "not something people did".

She started a job in an office and worked on her art in her spare time. Her art moved even further into the background while she had four children before she decided to enrol to study art in 1999.

She said: "No matter how old you are education is never a waste."

She is hoping to pass that on to local children and begin running workshops at Cornelius Vermuyden in the near future and is also opening her own studio and exhibition space at the Battlesbridge Antique Centre from May 1.

The exhibition is running until April 29 and is open from 3pm to 6pm Monday to Thursday, 3pm until 4.30pm on Fridays and from 10am until 2pm on Saturday.

Contacted Sue on 07811 642104.