My name is Lizzie Hall and I am a Welsh animal artist.   I can't remember a time when I didn't love to sketch anything that moved.

In the 1980's, as a young mother, I used to paint and sell original watercolour paintings of flowers and children.   My pictures sold as quickly as I could paint them and were exhibited here in cardiff.  

But I can't pretend that painting repetitive pictures wasn't a hard way to make a living, expeicially whilst looking after four young children under five years old.

My most vivid memory of those times was of my baby, who used to hang on my back like a monkey while I was painting.   He used to wrap his little arms around my neck and happily hang there for hours,  refusing to go to bed.

When I got divorced, a whopping legal bill that I couldn't afford, made me think "if you cant' beat 'em, join 'em."   This led to my pursing a legal career.

It's odd how one remark by one person can make you stop and re-evaluate your life.   But is was one remark that made me stop in my tracks and decide to follow my heart.   I took up my brushes again in 2006.

I started off my painting flowers, just as I had done all those years ago, but quickly moved on to painting animals.  

At first, I wondered if animal paintings would sell and I painted my first cows and horses purely for my own pleasure and my own walls.   However, I was delighted to find that the public love cows and other animal paintings just as much as I do.  Yeas, there's a huge animal-art loving community out there.

I am constanly being asked to add more dog paintings to my collection.    I'm answering "yes" to this and constantly adding more dogs to this site.  

I never fail to feel inspried.   Indeed, I'm a "driven woman," making up for the lost years when I didn't paint   I actually start to feel quite agitated if I'm deprived of my paint brushes for any length of time. 

Im self taught, painting in oils, which are by far my favourited medium.   I love their instant vibrance, ease of application and permanence.   Oil paintings also reproduce beautifully as prints.    Indeed, it can be quite difficult to tell the difference between the original oil painting the print.

We have two dogs, two cats, eight chickens and a horse named Harry.   As my (now five) children grow up and fly the nest, they seem to be replaced by animals.    My own chickens feature in my chicken paintings (Lucy, Mary and Florence), as do my cats, (Sophisti-cat and Pardon Me.)  

Many people have bought my paintings since I started selling again in 2008 and pictures are now in homes worldwide.   I love meeting my customers at shows and I genuinely never cease to be amazed by the number of people who buy my paintings.   To all of you who have supported me, I just want to say a really big, heart felt "thank you.'

Also, a big "thank you" to my lovely husband Mike who has supported me immeasureably.   He's tolerated the mess of my oil paints, not complained that half the house and our store room is filled with my stock, equipment and paintings.   He's expended a huge amount of time in perfecting complex printing technology and exhausted himself to the point of sheer exhaustion at shows.  

Oh yes, and thank you to him for selling his beloved 4 x 4 because I needed a transit van........I know the last bit hurt.