FROM THE ART

I have witnessed another silver lining of the “Covid cloud” too. A friend’s husband was furloughed from his paint-spraying job at the end of March but then laid off altogether at the end of April. His mental health started to crumble as he was anxious about finding new work amid the Covid crisis. His wonderful wife suggested that he took the opportunity to pursue his love of art.

Noel took a deep breath and set up his own business offering bespoke artwork, with pet portraits as his speciality. As most of you will know – you were so supportive – my brother lost his fourlegged best friend, Diesel, earlier this year. So with Father’s Day on the horizon, I commissioned Noel to draw a black and white portrait of Diesel as a present for my brother for tomorrow.

As you can see, the result is absolutely stunning. Noel also sent several photos of his artwork as it progressed and it was just like watching Diesel reappear. It was incredibly moving. These thoughtful updates meant the journey was such a special part of having the final portrait to treasure. Obviously I’ll be able to forward those to my brother once he has seen the portrait.

Not surprisingly, I sent Noel a photo of my own ‘wing-dog’, Yogi, for him to sketch too. And as you can see, Noel has captured her perfectly. I have seen lots of lovely pet portraits but I have never seen ones that capture a personality so emotively.

Noel was endearingly open and honest about his own journey as he told me: “I do have a mental health condition (depression) and when I draw it’s the only time my mind stops and just focuses on what’s in front of me.