Joan Fitzsimmons, 63, moved to Bury in the late 1980s after growing up in Canada and studying for her degree and master’s in art in London.
She moved to the borough to lecture at Bury College in art and design, and fashion and textiles and she also established and ran the BTEC art and design course before leaving in 2012.
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She now runs her own business as a gardener and garden designer.
On Saturday, Joan will open her first solo exhibition of paintings at the MASA-UK Art Gallery in Bolton Street.
It will display her paintings of flowers that have been grown at her home or her allotment.
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She said: “I’m a member of Bury Art Collective and one of our members had a painting in the shop window on Bolton Street.
“I stopped to have a look at it and the gallery owner asked if I’m interested and I said I was a painter.
“She asked to see some of my work, and she offered me a one artist solo exhibition.
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“My paintings are Van Gogh inspired and that’s very fashionable at the moment as the Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery had the most footfall out of all the exhibitions they’ve ever held.
“That includes previous exhibitions from painters like Leonardo da Vinci.”
The exhibition will be on show for a month.
