Wortwell artist turns her passion for animals into fledgling business venture
An artist, who discovered a talent for capturing the likeness of animals, has turned her hobby into in a flourishing small business.
Chloe Bridges, 23, from Wortwell, began selling her watercolour paintings after receiving lots of positive comments and interest.
“I started painting pets for family and friends as a hobby,” she said. “I’ve always had a passion for art but, as time progressed and interest in my work increased, this led me to create Hare & Heather in August.
“I decided to focus mainly on animals as they have always been a big part of my life.
“Living in the countryside, I’m always surrounded by nature. Hares and pheasant are my favourite animals to paint.
“Pets are a big part of my life, too. I used to work in a veterinary practice and I believe this is where my passion for painting pets came from.”
Miss Bridges specialises in watercolour paintings and has recently expanded her repertoire to paint on new surfaces, such as canvas, wood and pottery.
Having developed her skills in art and design class while at college, she has continued to develop her skill-set through self-teaching and experimentation.
Despite seeing early success with her business venture, Miss Bridges still works as a microbiology lab assistant at a veterinary lab during the day and paints in her free time.
“I love having my day job alongside my art as it gives me a healthy balance in my life,” she said.
“It means I can enjoy it more. Pet portraits are more than just a painting, they are a memory of a pet that is no longer with us, or something to appreciate that little friend by your side every single day. It brings me so much joy to see how much my paintings mean to people.
“In the future, I would love to have my own shop, selling paintings and gifts with my original designs on. I love creating things, so that has always been a dream of mine.”
Miss Bridges takes orders and gives quotes through her Facebook page and has her own website at hareandheather.bigcartel.com.
