Two days running, and two friends have passed away:  I can’t believe it.

Dear Dick lived to a grand age and was active until just recently. In fact, he drove to visit us only a short while ago and it was lovely to see him; he even chatted about work with Brian. Years ago he raised £1,000+ for Air Ambulance Rescue and was doing so again; this time, through building and selling his lovely shepherd hut/caravans..at 90yrs of age! He was an expert in many of the old crafts, a skillful country man. A good man and a very dear friend.

The phone call received today was about a gentleman called Dusty. I first met Dusty when I accompanied a friend to his house. Dusty had Great Danes, and I fell in love with one of them: a lovely gentle, handsome old boy. Later as we were leaving, Dusty gave me a small photo of him, and as I’ve always enjoyed art I decided I would try to draw him. A few weeks later, I was encouraged to show my 5″ x 7″ drawing to Dusty, which I did, reluctantly, and to my great surprise, he immediately said he wished to purchase it.

I didn’t realise the significance at the time, but this lovely old Great Dane was my very first Pet Portrait sale.. I earned the grand sum of £20. I thought it was so kind of Dusty, but didn’t think anymore of it until a few days later when I received a call from him asking if I would produce an oil painting of another of his Great Danes…..And as the saying goes, the rest is history. Thanks to Dusty, I never looked back. More commissions arrived on my doorstep purely through recommendations. I was now a self-employed Pet Portrait Artist. I loved dogs, but my passion was also wildlife and in between the pets, I was also painting and illustrating our precious wildlife which eventually led me to gain an HND in Natural History Illustration. Thank you Dusty.