The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Artist cashes in on woolly musings
An artist says she was able to buy her dream wedding dress thanks to her pet sheep – who helped her pay for it.
Charlotte Brayley says her pet pedigree Suffolk sheep, Alan, has helped raise the cash to pay for her bespoke dress for her wedding in October.
Charlotte, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, is used to creating watercolours of wildlife but recently five-year-old Alan became her muse.
The 36-year-old artist does a new painting of Alan getting up to mischief every day, posts it on Facebook for a fee of £15 each.
Charlotte was gobsmacked by how popular the paintings have become, with Alan’s celebrity status helping her raise £1,500 towards her dream dress.
The quirky sheep has also helped raise a further £400 in commissions, meaning Charlotte can cover the cost of her bridesmaid and pageboy outfits as well.
Pet Alan lives with Charlotte, her fiancé Matt and their 20-month-old son Fergus in Comrie, Perthshire, along with their four dogs, two cats and two ponies.
Charlotte said: “Alan has helped me raise the money for the dress through my paintings.
“He has stolen the hearts of lots of my Facebook followers who love seeing him.
“I never thought it would take off the way it has. I have thousands of followers now, some of who have sent me gifts for the wedding.
“One woman crocheted an Alan sheep so that he can be at the wedding – it will be hidden in my bouquet so he will be with me in spirit.
“And I will get a picture with him on the wedding day too.”
Charlotte got engaged to fiancé Matt, 33, in 2016 but when it came to organising her wedding Charlotte said she had a disastrous time trying to find the right dress.
She said: “The wedding dress was so important to me and I knew I wanted something bespoke – something I would feel special in.”
With the wedding scheduled for October, Charlotte hopes that Alan’s adventures will keep people coming back to her Facebook page to see what he’s been up to next.