My latest work

I am now taking commissions for pet portraits.

I work in acrylic on canvas and can paint any size you like.

Here is a sample of my work.

I work from your photographs as I find pets do not like to sit still for very long.

I ship worldwide

Please contact me by email: vhopkins 101@hotmail.com

featured here

http://janellemccullochlibraryofdesign.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/a-black-and-white-weekend-part-2.html

2014

Selling the house.

When I bought this house a little over 3 years ago I had planned to live here for the rest of my life.

I put my life and soul into renovating and restoring the rather sad and dilapidated 1860's terrace.
 The poor unloved house hadn't been a home for years  - it was operating as a garden shop downstairs and a series of offices upstairs. It didn't have a kitchen or laundry.

Here is my home

The entrance hall

and looking the other way into the house

 

I numbered the stairs - all 39 of them!

  

 here you can see into the new kitchen. I reinstated the original fireplace ( I had always wanted a big kitchen with an open fire in it)

 

  

Here are some more of the numbered stairs. The house has 3 levels and a basement ( which my twins called the dungeon)

here is a before photo - the garden shop

and after

my living room - wearing its Winter Look

 I removed a wall on the left to open up the space and let more light into what was once a very dark hallway.

 

 Here is the Summer Look

The sofa facing the garden and blue stripe Ralph Lauren cushions. The red persian rug removed and replaced with a pale cowhide

 

looking out to the garden

The tiny courtyard garden

  here is a before of what is now the kitchen -this is when it was the garden shop.

and  after - the kitchen - with my dream a fireplace in the kitchen!

  I kept the light fittings due to my tight budget. I would have loved to have put some vintage pendant lights in here over the table.

here is a before photo of one of the upstairs offices 

 and here it is after the renovation

    

  I kept the white painted floors in this room due to my tight budget. I had originally planned to sand and stain the floors a dark black/ brown like the floors I did throughout the rest of the house - glad I didn't go dark in this room . My bedroom became my sanctuary throughout a very difficult time in my life.

 

 all light , white and heavenly

  

 

my dressing room - with a small antique French table

 

 I then changed the table for a mirrored chest of drawers for more storage

I used a Catherine Martin wallpaper ( the costume and set designer on the Great Gatsby movie)

 

here is a close up of the Great Gatsby wallpaper

 Sorry, some of the photos have the locations agency logo on them. When I finished renovating the house had it's own agent! and was used for photo shoots for magazines, advertising campaigns and a movie!

The house has now sold.

 On to a new era!