I have been sketching and painting animals, birds, flowers, and even insects, for as long as I can remember, and I have always had a great love of nature. School projects were often embellished with extra drawings of animals and birds, sometimes to the annoyance of my teachers. My art teacher even once wrote in my school report “…..she tends to be rather exclusively concerned with horses at present….” Having such a love for animals I even thought about studying veterinary medicine, but science has never been my strong subject. However, that didn’t stop me from bringing home all sorts of waifs and strays (sadly, most didn’t make it!) I think life would be very dull without our wonderful furry and feathered friends; not only do they make the world a more beautiful place to live in, but they also add humour to our stressful lives, with their wonderful sense of fun and playfulness. What better way is there to entertain ourselves, than to study all creatures, great and small? For a number of years I worked with a small group of artists in a studio within the grounds of an Oxfordshire manor house, producing hand-painted and intricately decorated items for an exclusive interior design shop in Sloane Square, London. We received orders from all over the world, including some very prestigious clients. With my ability to produce life-like portraits from photographs, I accepted the challenge of painting commissions of animals (mainly miniatures) for customers of the shop, and realised I had found my true vocation. I have now set-up my own studio which enables me to concentrate on painting portraits of animals, and more recently people, for a living. Most of my portraits to-date have been of dogs and horses, but I would love to paint more cats, as well as other animals and birds. My particular skill for working in minute detail lends itself well to portrait painting. My portaits start at 2" x 2", and I take great pride in the fine brush work in each portrait, incorporating fine hairs, whiskers, bridle, etc. I love to spend as much time on the eyes as possible – they capture the real essence and character of the animal or person, and I try to reflect this in my paintings. I feel this is the first and most important stage in the creation of a portrait. All other details are then painted in and the colour is built up gradually using tiny brush strokes. Throughout this process I use magnifiers to help me extract every little detail. Each portrait is meticulously painted using good quality acrylic paints. I like to paint on a textured surface, and have found off-white textured acid free mount board or oil canvas board suits my needs very well. I use a mixture of medium to very fine acrylic brushes, sometimes as small as 4/0. I am also occasionally asked to paint miniatures on raw silk. I sometimes experiment with other mediums, such as watercolour, graphite and coloured pencil, and would like to try oils. I have exhibited my work, mainly locally, at art exhibitions, craft fairs, cat shows, and horse shows. I receive most of my commissioned work from people who have been recommended to me by previous happy customers, and many of my customers come back to me themselves for portraits of other pets or family members. Painting for a living is something that I have always wanted to do, and it still gives me such a thrill to be able to produce a piece of artwork that someone will treasure for years to come. I have always enjoyed drawing and painting animals for my pleasure, but the real pleasure comes from the look of joy on someone’s face as I present them with a newly completed portrait, or when I receive a letter to say that the portrait of their pet or loved one had brought tears to their eyes. I love what I do, and I am very grateful to my family and friends who have helped and encouraged me to achieve my goal. I live with my wonderful husband, Leslie, who has supported me over the years with my artwork, plus our two fabulous cats, Jake and Holly, in our house in Oxfordshire. My other loves include gardening, making my own clothes, and dancing – we run The Oxford Swing Dance Society with a friend, teaching weekly classes and workshops.