Published: Thursday, 9th October, 2008 9:20am

Painting a £162,000 picture for would-be home buyers

IN TODAY"S depressed housing market, painting the Forth Bridge 50 times over is quicker than trying to sell a property.

But amateur artist Ellen Foreman has found the perfect way to canvass interest in her two-bedroom Haddington flat. . . put snaps of her home in an established art exhibition, complete with a £162,000 price tag!

Crafty Ellen has persuaded organisers of the town"s annual art exhibition at the Corn Exchange to accept her entry of eight small photographs of her rooms as a bona fide exhibit.

The images, behind a simple beech frame, are unlikely to turn the heads of art connoisseurs - but the six-figure price tag, which matches the property"s offers-over asking price, most certainly will.

But Ellen doesn"t mind making an exhibition of herself if it helps sell her Alexandra Place flat quicker.

She said: 'It seemed that whenever I switched on the TV, opened a newspaper, or spoke to friends about my decision to sell the flat, I was met by doom and gloom news about the credit crunch, failing financial markets and falling house prices.

'I decided I could choose to either laugh or cry about the situation. So here I am, having fun thinking up creative ways of letting people know about my flat.'

Ellen approached Graham White of selling agents GSB Properties White of GSB Properties to take the photographs before arranging them artistically, and humorously attaching the bumper price tag (see pic above).

'I"m sure over the next few months my flat will find a new owner,' she added. 'The old romantic in me wonders if it"ll be to a person who felt love at first sight when they saw the flat in this picture?'

The exhibition is run by Haddington and District Community Council and, unsurprisingly, Ellen"s is the most expensively priced item.

Community council chair Jan Wilson admitted she thought long and hard before allowing it.

'It"s very artistically done, but this is definitely a one-off,' she said. 'We won"t be accepting any more such exhibits in future.'

Ellen"s marketing ploy could give the impression that buying the artwork for £162,000 also secures ownership of her flat. But she admits that"s just a bit of fun as if she ever did sell the picture for the £162,000 asking price, she would have to pay more than £30,000 in commission to the exhibition organisers!

The exhibition, which previewed on Wednesday night, was due to open to the public yesterday (Thursday). It runs daily, 10am-4pm, until Sunday, and features the works of around 60 county artists.