Clive Hemsley, a specialist artist in animals has moved his gallery from London to Axminster.
He is now based in an 1100 century-converted church cottage in Axminster Devon
As a creative director for advertising agencies for most of his life, but after reaching retirement age, Hemsley discovered his true love for dogs and wanted to picture them.
He says he believes that as we live much longer than our furry companions, it is crucial to capture their memories in their prime. 'After all a dog painting is for life not just for Christmas.'
Hemsley's journey into dog portraits began by accident 12 years ago-when his own Labrador, Humphrey , helped himself to a lady's sandwich while she was sitting on a park bench munching away.
The lady was a professional dog trainer, Clive suggested he would paint a portrait of her poodle as compensation for the snip - Clive left it on the bench a week later.
The lady was so impressed she went straight to the local paper who published the artwork and the story- BBC Oxford picked up the story.
With his creative background in advertising, Hemsley has a keen eye for capturing the perfect composition/shot. He believes that each dog has a unique personality and capturing their essence in a photograph that the client can send to him or let Clive take a picture that can be used along side an easel is a way to preserve their memories forever.
Hemsleys paintings have gained popularity on social media, with many dog owners reaching out to him to capture their beloved pets' images.
Mr Hemsley said: "I've always said the better the photograph the better the oil painting! so if your keen on photography with the modern smart phone everyone is good - you will get a master piece
"Incidentally interesting fact-what i've discovered is if you ask anyone lady or gentlemen to see a picture of their dog on their phone verses pictures of their children- normally the dog always comes first outweighing the kids 3/1 - that tends to put it all in perspective."
Hemsley's passion for creating dog portraits has also led him to partner with local charities and animal shelters and rescue organisations. He offers his services to capture images of dogs in need of a forever home, hoping to increase their chances of adoption.
As Hemsley embarks on this new journey, in his new dedicated gallery/Studio/workshop he hopes to inspire others to appreciate the beauty and importance of capturing dogs' memories.
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