Buddy Collie was a legendary and influential ‘50s dog & roll star, whose impact on the canine music world was far reaching. Tall, lanky and bespectacled, he looked like an ordinary dog who just happened to sing and play the guitar really well. Collie’s brief career produced such memorable hits as ‘Doggy Sue’ and ‘That’ll Be The Dog’ before his untimley death when he ran out into the road and was run over by an ice cream van

I thought I'd do a few paintings for the Open House in May... Very different from the illustrations I know... Here's one anyway... 

Michael Dachshund was the biggest dog star of the 80’s and one of the most successful recording dogs of all time. His hits ‘Collie Jean’, ’Dog in the Mirror’ and ‘Blame it on the Doggie’ propelled him to international canine stardom. As his career declined attention focused on his increasingly eccentric behaviour; sleeping in a hyperbaric kennel, going for walkies backwards and barking angrily at inanimate objects. You can buy MD from my Etsy shop, or from November, it will be in Paperchase... Currently working on some Christmas versions.

Last week I completed a commission from my dear friend Tamara of the wondrous children's bookshop, Tales on Moon Lane in Herne Hill. She wanted a special present for a friend of hers who apparently is fantastically particular about things she likes. Two of the things she does actually like are doves and the colour grey. So Tamara had an idea to combine them and ask me to paint a picture for her. I actually felt quite alarmed by this simultaneously vague but rigid brief....However, luckily, Tamara seems to be delighted with it. Unfortunately she is yet to give it to her fussy friend (her Birthday is in a few months) - someone who has been known to return a picture as it didn't quite match the colour of her curtains. So I will have to wait a little longer to see if I have got the shade of grey right.....