My name is Helen and I live with my partner and younger son in a pretty small village in the Pewsey Vale of Wiltshire.  We have quite a few pets including a beautiful border collie dog called Jake and some miniature lop rabbits.

 

Although I took an exam in art at school, I didn't pursue my art career, but took the safer option of a course in business studies.  I went to work for a Bank for a few years until I started a family.  This was when I started my art work again being at home and looking after the boys, enabled me to work from home.  I have done various crafts over the years and used to make wooden wall plaques for children's bedrooms.  I was also commissioned to paint a nursery room at a  school which was a big project.  I took various ideas from books and the scene included cows, trees, owls, flowers and bees.

 

Some years ago I took some of my paintings to a local garden centre where I worked part time.  It wasn't long before I found myself being commissioned to paint people's pets, and have since become self employed.

 

My partner, Paul is a professional photographer and a partner in a website design company, Avando. This is very useful for me! During the summer months we often attend horse competition events with a print on the day set up, these events give me the opportunity to promote my work.

 

The mediums I like are oil pastels and chalk pastels, and graphite pencils.  Mainly using oil pastels and paints for the larger portraits.  I have gained a reputation for being able to express the individual character of the animals I paint through their expression and eyes.

 

In the galleries are some examples of work I have completed to date, mostly commissions, but am hoping to have time in between commissions to display some of my own work (not copying from a photograph).

 

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy looking through the pictures.