ARTIST Lucille Carter has no qualms about the entries she’s submitted to the Society of Botanical Artists London exhibition despite it being the 13th year she’s taken part.

Her five original submissions, which will all go on sale with a �450 price tag for each, embrace the theme ‘two thousand pricks!!” a tongue in cheek reference to the fact they are paintings of exotic cacti.

Lucille, who now lives in Kings Lynn but still spends much of the time in Wisbech helping to run the family owned W-4 restaurant, is delighted with this year’s entries.

“Thousands of paintings get submitted but only 750 are chosen for the exhibition and sale,” she said.

“In many ways �450 per painting is quite cheap- some get sold for up to �5,000.”

The exhibition and sale opens on April 19 with a special preview day and the event is opened by Elizabeth Banks, president of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Then the following day, until April 29, the exhibition is open daily from 11am to 5pm at Westminster Central Hall.

“My paintings are of different cacti from across the world,” she said. “I have an Australian friend who sent photos of the cacti that looks a bit like a Christmas decoration. If you study the photo you can see where birds have eaten the peel so this is included in the painting.”

Another painting is based on cacti from Cyprus where Lucille and her husband Barry- chairman of Wisbech Town FC- have a holiday home. Other paintings are based on photos from botanical books.

“I’m looking forward very much again to the London exhibition,” said Lucille. “It’s become a highlight of the year for me and I’m hoping my paintings do well there.”