Gallery offers customers chance to have their pet pooch immortalised in pastels by wildlife artist

An art gallery is offering dog owners the opportunity of commissioning a unique portrait of their beloved pet. Wingates Gallery is staging an event called ‘Your Pooch in Pastels’ at its Market Harborough gallery where people can meet wildlife artist Samantha Greenhill to discuss creating a lasting picture of their four-legged friends.

Customers can book a 30-minute slot with Samantha between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 2 April at the gallery on St Mary’s Road. Samantha said: “I have never taken part in such an event before and am very excited about getting to meet people and to chat about capturing their dog in pastels. I need people to bring along a selection of photographs of their pet. These photographs need to be high resolution as I need that to see the eyes properly, as that is where you get the sense of the animal. “I am a dog lover myself and appreciate just how much people love their pets, who are always a beloved member of the family. It will be a pleasure, and a challenge, for me to capture the very essence of the animal in pastels.

“All in all, it will take me between 50 and 100 hours to finish the portrait, which once it is framed, will cost about £1,500 for a 50cm by 70cm painting.”Andrew Cartwright, who runs Wingates Gallery with his wife Kathryn, said the event represented a unique opportunity for dog owners to have their pet immortalised in pastels. “We are delighted to be able to offer our customers this rare chance to have their beloved pooch captured forever by the very talented Samantha Greenhill,” he said. “Such a portrait would provide an incredibly lifelike depiction, and lasting memory, of a much-loved member of the family. Samantha’s work is amazing and her ability to create such a finely detailed piece of work has had many people wonder if she has just blown up and framed an actual photograph, instead of using pastels.

“Samantha has a real gift for capturing the personality and character of every animal she paints. Her pieces are stunning and the closer you get to the image, the more incredible it becomes. “This event will enable our customers to commission a painting which will prove to be a permanent reminder of a beloved pet and an incredible and original piece of art which would grace any wall in any house. “Samantha is one of the most popular artists at our gallery and we anticipate that this will be a popular event. We would advise anyone interested in meeting Samantha and commissioning a painting to contact us as soon as possible.”

Anyone who wants to book a slot with Samantha should email andrew@wingatesgallery.co.uk or call the gallery on 01858 465455.
For more information about the galleries in Leicester and Market Harborough, visit www.wingatesgallery.co.uk.