A Christmas Gift Idea – the ‘Portraits For NHS Heroes’ Book

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Well what a year this has been – most of us will be glad to see the back of it and are hoping for a much improved 2021, but one of the more uplifting events in 2020 was a scheme created by artist Tom Croft to thank our NHS Heroes dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic by gifting a portrait to them. Tom invited artists to offer free portraits of NHS workers which took off in an amazing way and by November a book of some of the portraits was published by Bloomsbury Publishing (link is below). The royalties from the sale of each book go directly to the NHS.

I was very lucky to be included in this important and poignant record of what has been an extraordinary year and my portrait of Megan Cavanagh, a young nurse from Liverpool, sits proudly on page 159.

Meg and all the other NHS key workers fully deserve their Heroes status – we are indebted to them.

With Christmas just around the corner, there is still time to order the Portraits For NHS Heroes book. The portraits and accompanying stories are such an interesting and emotional read. A perfect gift this year.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/portraits-for-nhs-heroes-9781448218004/

The ‘C’ Word…

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No, not that one…! It’s now 21 weeks to – dare I mention it – Christmas, so if you would like a portrait of your furry (or feathered) friend painted from your photos, why not contact me to get yours ordered?  The sooner the better.

Animal portraits make a wonderful gift, either for yourself or for someone special.  Prices from £50 for a small pastel on paper.

Here’s an example, this is Rocco, acrylic on canvas:-

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‘Rocco’ commission

Something New…

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I found these pre-packed mounts in Cass Art and thought I would try doing some smaller pastels to fit them.  I’ve made a start with a little Westie and a German Shepherd just to see how they do on my wall at the Garrion Bridges Antiques and Art centre.

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As well as improving the presentation of the paintings, it allows the buyer to use or select their own frame which they can buy ‘off the peg’ as the mounts are standard sizes.  The clear sleeves protect the pastels and allows a price to be attached to the painting without any damage to the paper or the mount.

Let’s see how they do.

 

The Best Way To Give A Dog At Christmas

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Although it’s the time of year when impulses take over reasoned thinking, let’s just slow down and make sure that giving a cute little bundle of fun to someone as a Christmas gift is really the right thing to do.  

If you still think a pooch is what they would like, why not give them a very well behaved one that doesn’t need walkies or scooping after?!

Here are a few gift ideas, OR you can commission me to paint a beloved four legged friend from your photos, for a truly original gift.

Happy Christmas Everyone 🎅🏻🎄