A RARE, early painting by one of South Shields best- known artist is to go under the hammer.

The painting of Newcastle Quayside on a Sunday market morning was painted by Bob Olley in 1971, several years before he became a professional artist.
Mr. Olley is famed for creating the statue of war hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick and his donkey in Ocean Road, South Shields and the Westoe Netty painting.

The Quayside painting is expected to fetch upwards of £500 when it goes under the hammer next week at Newcastle auctioneers Anderson and Garland.
Picture specialist John Anderson said: " According to The Artists of Northumbria, a new book on north east artists, Bob must have been still employed in the telecommunications industry when he painted this picture.
"And yet, he must have been undecided whether to become a full-time professional artist, despite showing some of his work at the Bede Gallery in Jarrow in 1970.
But only three years later, after a successful one-man exhibition at South Shields Art Gallery, where the his now famous Westoe Netty painting made it's debute, he was ready to take the plunge, and the rest as they say is history."
"Our Quayside scene of 1971 is a remarkably assured painting of the popular weekly market that still runs today.
It's a somewhat Lowry-esque painting with it's simply outlined figures and in a style with which Robert persevered for many years, and still to an extent does today.
The Westoe Netty followed in the same style."
But now a longstanding professional with dozens of major paintings behind him, he's developed into an extremely versatile artist and one of the most important in the region."

Mr Olley's work will go on view to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before going under the hammer on August 23^rd.

Bob was pleased to see the painting after all those years and although he can't remember who he sold it to, he remebers the price of the 30ins x 40 ins oil on board work was 20 guineas, (£21)