My series of Family Story Art paintings developed from an initial idea for a wedding present for friends.

Since then I have been asked to paint several more, each one unique to the person or family for which it is intended. Using imagination, artistic license and a sense of fun I will produce a precious keepsake of memories, and perhaps no small measure of nostalgia, of long past, but not forgotten shared family moments.

I also enjoy painting your pets and animals on a plain, square canvas background (Pet Portraits), or set in favourite locations which are meaningful to their owners (Pets in Places) .

Whilst I love to paint, I gain most satisfaction from knowing the subject matter is something significant, that will bring a smile to the face of the recipient and continue to do so for long afterwards.

Ireland, Wales, UK, USVI and Kentucky, USA

Rory's brother Paul and his family asked me to paint this Family Story for Rory's significant birthday. Its the largest Family Story that I have been asked to paint so far and it was wonderful to have the space to fill with so many precious memories. Using email and phone calls I was given a long and very diverse list of places, items and longstanding family jokes to depict in this colourful piece. Rory's love of travel is represented and memories from his childhood, his hobbies and professional life are shown. This piece travelled from my home in Devon to Kentucky via West Yorkshire and arrived in time for Christmas 2018.

"Rory absolutely loves the painting, we have had all his friends here today also transfixed at what a wonderful painting you have created. Thank you so much." (Paul, Rory's brother - Christmas Day 2018)

70 x 100 x 4cm canvas

The Old Custard Factory, Birmingham

This is where it all began. 

When we received Sara and Mark's fabulously quirky handmade wedding invitation with real buttons stuck to it, an idea sparked in me and I knew that I could bring that theme together in a painting to represent their wonderful family.  It helped that Sara loves sharing their lives on social media, so I scrolled and selected until I had enough of a plan to put paint to canvas and to keep it a complete secret from them until the day after their wonderful wedding...:

"When I first saw Lin's amazing picture I was completely overwhelmed with how vibrant, beautiful and 'us' it was. But it is when you start to notice the detail that it really gets you... I still look at it and want to cry. In a good way. It sounds silly but my favourite detail is a small patch on the tablecloth where Lin has depicted a detail from a much treasured item of clothing from when my boys were tiny babies. It brings back joyful memories. As do all of the details. Lin managed to bring everything special to our family in to one colourful, crazy and very very special painting. It hangs at the hub of our house, where we spend all of our time. It will be with us always and that makes me feel very happy and very very lucky. My 3 year old calls it 'my painting' and keeps asking to move it to his room. It means a lot to all of us because it's about all of us". (Sara)

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in portrait orientation

Scotland

This painting was commissioned by Edith's family for her 70th birthday. A beautiful selection of items made up this springtime painting including her two much loved dogs, a Cairn Terrier and a Gordon Setter, Bizet's Carmen opera, tennis, golf, a Naval fouled anchor and a post horn. I finished the painting with the addition of handmade bunting printed with family names and year of birth, Yorkshire white rose emblems and the thistle emblem of Scotland.

"How I love the painting you did for my 70th birthday. It's absolutely wonderful, so much in it that means so much to me. I shall treasure it always and take pleasure in it every day. Thank you" - Edith  

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas

Devon

This gorgeous selection of treasured items and locations were selected for this Family Story to mark Mike and Muriel's Golden Wedding Anniversary. Lots of fond memories were fitted in, including: Totnes clock arch, Dartington church, South Milton Sands, a steam train, the Sun Inn, Ugborough Beacon, the Isles of Scilly, favourite garden flowers, birds, clothes and toys (who else remembers Jacko the monkey?!) and even Freddie Mercury makes an appearance!

"The painting has been delivered and Mum and Dad are completely overcome - they love it! Thank you so much" - Clare, Mike and Muriel's daughter

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas

This request, for a meadow painting on wood to become the sign for an exciting new business in Devon - Yonder-Meadow-Holidays - was a first for me and a wonderful challenge! I sourced the wood with the help of winserwoodworks who supplied this beautiful piece of Cherry for me to paint the main sign on. I loved including the flowers that were growing on the property at the time and hope it helps to direct many families towards the happiest of holidays!

Along with the main property sign on wood for Yonder Meadow Holidays - I was also asked for small wooden signs for the luxury trailer and cottage accommodation. Again, I sourced the wood with the help of winserwoodworks who supplied, cut and shaped these pieces of sycamore for me to paint on. I finished each piece with three coats of varnish to protect them from the elements.

Edd's mum asked me to bring together aspects of his adventurous life for his 30th birthday. I chose to paint this in a 'collage' format as the requests were so globally diverse that it seemed to make more sense. From his childhood in Devon and Dorset, Maths teacher Edd has visited, amongst other countries, Peru's Macchu Picchu, Nepal, Thailand, the Victoria Falls in Zambia, London and recently lived and worked in El Salvador. He has swum with turtles, skied, played rugby and sailed all over the world, all fuelled by a good hearty full English breakfast and the 'occasional' glass of wine or beer - all included here in this painting.

50 x 50 x 2cm canvas

Isn't Queenie a fabulous name?! I painted this for her nursery, included a 'quack' and a 'quilt' for other Q words and added little bumble bees as her surname begins with 'B'.

Painted with love for a very special little Queenie B.

See the gallery for 'O' for Olivia with her pet dog Hollie

50 x 50 x 2cm acrylic and pen on canvas

Devon, England

Nessa chose a lovely range of item to include in her Family Story and I thoroughly enjoyed painting it.  She asked for 10 items: the the location that she met her husband, Clive, the church they were married in (famous for it's crooked spire), Bigbury beach and Burgh Island, Slapton Sands, spring flowers, badminton, Plymouth Argyle, tea in her favourite mug, Tigger and hearts. She also mentioned to me that she liked to feed the garden birds so I added some in for her.

Nessa didn't want to see the painting once we had spoken about its content and waited until the evening of her birthday to receive it from her family.  Afterwards she got in touch to say "I absolutely love it and keep finding new things!"

Salcombe, Devon

Liz's family commissioned this painting for her birthday.  They provided plenty of ideas and photographs to help me create this busy and colourful piece.  The little Jack Russell in the foreground is Bertie, Liz's current dog who appears alongside her previous pets.  Favourite Freesias, a baby elephant, Lady Grey tea in St Petersburg china, skiing, surfing, sailing and memories of cruise holidays and of a childhood in Hereford are all represented, along with ducks, a frog, cars, horse racing, a hop field, spinning and knitting and a love of the theatre - all meaningful and poignant items to stir memories throughout the family.

Harrogate, Cornwall, Devon & Malta

Elizabeth's family requested this painting as a surprise for her 70th birthday.  It includes their homes, past and present, their favourite caravan holiday location, Daymer Bay in Cornwall, Smeaton's Tower from Plymouth Hoe where Elizabeth lived, a library and the birds and squirrels in their pretty garden.  The painting was completed with the addition of favourite drinks and Fry's Chocolate Creme, freesia flowers and hand made bunting printed with the names of all the family.

"...a huge thank you for creating such a wonderful present for my mum.  She was absolutely blown away...we can't get over how accurate all the items are  - despite the poor quality photos I provided! And although the items are so random it all comes together as a beautiful, united picture! Thank you so very very much." (Rachael, Elizabeth's daughter)

Wembury, Mount Batten & Plymouth in Devon, Hull and San Diego 

Kay and Roy asked me to paint this as a Christmas present for their mum, Joanie, who still has her pointe shoes and at 80+ insists she should have been a ballerina!  The list I was given was very promising and gave me the opportunity to paint a very pretty picture.  Set in springtime with lots of flowers, four cats including a white one without a tail, a donkey, a mug of tea, marzipaned fruit cake, seafood and jelly beans were shown alongside views of San Diego, a seagull who appears on a lamp post every morning (and who was there when I delivered the painting!), plus Joanie's favourite white tulips and a pink moped.  I added tiny diamanté 'stars' to the night sky above San Diego and to the street lights on the bridge.  Handmade Union Jack and Stars and Stripes bunting completed the canvas.  

"Mum has arrived safely on her Christmas holiday with me in the USA and she is still talking about her painting - she loves it so much!" (Kay,  Joanie's daughter)

Plymouth and Saltash, via Florence, Venice and Poland

Barbara's family commissioned this piece as a surprise for her birthday.  

It includes views of Plymouth Hoe, which has a domed building below the lighthouse, Smeaton's Tower, but Barbara loves visiting Florence and Venice, so I changed the Dome on the Hoe to the Duomo Cathedral and included some gondolas and the Rialto Bridge crossing the River Tamar.  I also represented, amongst other things, her Polish heritage and her father's tailoring skills, her pets both from today and from the past, Barbara's wedding shoes (complete with diamante sparkles), wool and her knitting bag, their boat, her favourite poppy flowers and a poster for her best loved stage show, West Side Story.

The painting was finished by adding tiny crystal 'stars' and handmade bunting, printed with the names of Barbara's daughters, grandchildren and other family members, was strung across the canvas.

Kingsbridge, Devon

Elspeth and her husband are keen sailors.  I was asked to include their boats, her cat and items to represent her many hobbies and interests into this painting.  I set it within a view of the beautiful Kingsbridge estuary where they live.

"Elspeth was so delighted with this painting.  It was a complete surprise for her and it is so much more than we were expecting - perfect!". Elspeth's colleagues 

Teignmouth, Devon, via Quimper and Exeter

Sophie and Dean asked me to paint a springtime picture of their lovely home in Teignmouth; to include aspects of their meeting, their wedding and their two lovely sons, Louis and Oscar.  As always I painted items with special meaning to them both and, this time, the bunting of British, French, European, Devon and Bretagne flags was painted directly onto the canvas to represent their Anglo-French family ties.  The flying bells are a French tradition at Easter and I included their Easter Saturday wedding date on the closest three bells.

Bittaford, Devon via Ffestiniog and Prague

Elaine's family asked me to capture special moments and scenes from her life in this painting as a surprise for her 60th birthday.

The large railway arches near their Devon home were adapted to support the Charles Bridge in Prague where they had enjoyed a memorable family holiday, and the Festiniog railway train was shown passing over it!  Their love of walking was depicted by the inclusion of some boots and their favourite destination, the Ship Inn, also shown.  All their pets and ponies both past and present were represented too, along with a little car that the children used to play in.

I designed and printed the handmade bunting and added it to the canvas.  It shows the names and dates of birth of Elaine's children and her wedding date.

"Just to let you know that we gave mum her birthday present today.  She was blown away by it and cried - she said it was the play mobile car that got her!!

We are so pleased with it. Thank you so much."

(Caroline, Elaine's daughter) 

Yorkshire Dales, UK

This painting was commissioned by Nigel and Moira's family to mark their 50th birthdays. 

The eclectic range of items to be included made it one of the most challenging Family Story paintings yet.  But, very enjoyable too. 

Nigel is a painter and decorator by profession, so, having been asked to include the Northern Lights I decided that paintbrushes and rollers in the sky would bring this into the picture in imaginative way.  The addition of, amongst many other things, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a 10m diving board, Le Tour de France, various cars, baking, reading, gardening, football, hiking, song lyrics, sewing, degrees and jewellery all appear after some subtle detective work by family members. 

Moira and Nigel had no idea about the painting and when it was delivered Moira said:

"This is the most amazing picture and present we have received!  So much detail and memories of our lives all brought together in the most beautiful picture.  I'd recommend this to anyone.  I was blown away by it.  Thank you so much."

New Zealand, Norway and Devon

A surprise Christmas present for a mum with twin daughters, links to New Zealand, Norway and a love of rugby, oak trees and carnations!

South Dartmoor, Devon

This painting was commissioned to be given by Jane, who wanted to give a special gift to her colleagues when she left her job.

Each item represents a college house, the performance leader of the house and the support staff.

The college emblem is represented by the sun, moon and brown plant and the colours of each house are shown with the addition of the button stars and handmade bunting sewn to the canvas on completion.

Devon

Lucinda was the first to ask for a Family Story Art piece of her own after seeing Sara and Mark's wedding present.  She sent a list of ideas which between us, after lots of messaging to and fro and detail checking, grew into the development of the pink blossomed painting which I loved doing for her and her three daughters. 

"Lin's 'family story' that she painted for us perfectly captures my family. I am absolutely delighted with it and I couldn't ask for a more personal piece of work. Not only does every item in it tell it's own story for my family, but the composition that Lin came up with from the items we chose also perfectly pictures our lifestyle. Thank you Lin!" (Lucinda)

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in landscape orientation

Devon

Clare saw my previous Family Story Art paintings and said she couldn't stop thinking about what she would want to appear in her own version.  She came up with a long and wonderful list of such diversity, but that just made it all the more fun for me to paint.  I added buttons, ladybirds and sparkling stones as stars to the finished picture...:

"From the beginning to the end, the Family Story experience was pure emotional indulgence. I loved every minute of it. Thinking of my lovely family and deciding on how they would be represented, took over my every free waking moment and even entered my dreams. I could not begin to imagine how you would put all my randomness into one painting.

The 'big reveal' was nerve racking and emotional.  I was totally in awe of you and your talent. You had created an individual masterpiece which depicts the madness, the love and the memories of my family. Now they are all in one place for me to happily gaze at, whenever I wish. It never fails to put a smile on my face and I will never tire of talking about it. Thank you soooooo much" (Clare)

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in landscape orientation

Bristol, Devon, Tanzania and Sri Lanka

It gave me such pleasure to paint this picture for Helen as a graduation gift from her family.  Rather than a whole family story, this painting marks seven years of adventure and studying Medicine in Helen's journey to becoming a qualified Doctor.  From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to volunteering in Sri Lanka, we came up with a list of favourite and remarkable landmarks, animals and moments along the way.

"What a precious and unique gift.  I will never forget Helen's face as she saw the magical painting Lin had created - special moments in her life depicted on canvas! Thank you Lin" (Paula, Helen's mum)

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in portrait orientation

Hampshire, England

My gorgeous grandson is obsessed with BIG DIGGERS so, when he moved to a new house the only thing to do was to paint him an enormous digger to fill his bedroom wall!  Glasses for scale.

Devon

My friends had their miracle baby girl this year and called her Agnes.  I guessed that finding something with her name on it would be difficult so I decided to paint it for them.  During this process I realised that I could incorporate the names of her lovely mum, dad and brothers into the piece and even include their surname (blanked in this photo).  I decorated it with tiny 'diamond' sparkles and buttons.  

A special painting for a special family.

Manila, Philippines

This Penguin has flown from Devon to live in Manila in the Philippines with my son, who has loved penguins, great and small, since he was a very little boy. 

Somerset

Murphy is a wonderful white and woolly Golden Retriever who loves nothing more than to roll and splash through the muddiest parts of every walk, and afterwards, sit back and observe as his world goes by.  I captured him here in a clean, contemplative moment and set him against a vibrant blue background to contrast with his fluffy coat.

50 x 50 x 4cm canvas

Devon

Hazell is a village moggy with delusions of grandeur due to her pedigree-like-incredibly-expensive-cat markings.  Her owner, my daughter Alice, has always had a 'thing' about cats, daisies and strawberries, especially around her birthday.  So this painting, with the addition of tiny buttons, handmade bunting and sparkling eyes was completed for her 21st birthday.

40 x 40 x 4cm canvas

Worcestershire

Buster is an adorable old cat who is full of character.  I placed him amongst spring flowers in the foreground of a view of the Malvern Hills where he lives with his owners. 

This is an example of my 'Pets in Places' series.  Bringing together a favourite location and any much loved animal - domestic or not!

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in landscape orientation

Somerset

Izzy's owner asked me to capture this wonderful scruffy little girl in all her tangled glory.  I tried very hard to make her look 'happy' but in the end had to settle for her favoured expression of an inner contentment behind those lovely dark eyes!

40 x 40 x 4cm canvas

England

A colourful, fun painting of a giant juicy strawberry against a plain background. 

Please ask me about any flower, fruit or vegetable which could be depicted this way to go with your own choice of background colour and home décor.

50 x 50 x 4cm canvas

Devon

This is a painting taken from several photographs that I took whilst driving back from the beach one glorious evening in summer.  The Poppies and Daisies were growing around the edge of the field of Oilseed Rape and looked wonderful with Dartmoor in the background.

50 x 60 x 4cm canvas in landscape orientation

Devon

This canvas was created to fill a space in my home after redecorating.  The lime green background is the colour of a feature wall leading into the garden and, as I had some left, I used it to create this large canvas and to compliment my colour scheme. 

I can recreate this idea using any colour and any flower of your choosing to match your home décor.  Please contact me to discuss sizes and prices for this economical way to bring life to an empty wall.

50 x 100 x 4cm canvas (glasses added on top of painting to give sense of scale only!)

Devon

Bella is my own, old odd-eyed girl and the first pet I painted in this style. She is a Pointer x Blue Merle Collie x Hound and is a most faithful, gentle friend to everyone she meets. 

This is what I see in my rear-view mirror whenever she travels with me - she will never lay down and relax, constantly checking that I haven't leapt from the moving vehicle without her!

50 x 50 x 4cm canvas

For all commissions:

• The cost of each painting will be determined by the size of the canvas and the amount of content that you ask me to include.

• Each canvas will be fully painted on all visible sides and will not require a frame so there are no further costs.

• Canvases are provided with all fittings ready to hang.

• Orientation may be landscape or portrait and the purchaser will be asked to choose in advance which they would prefer.

• Paintings may be collected, or delivered free of charge (within a 25 mile radius of South Brent, Devon) or, if further away, by arrangement for an extra fee.

• Postage and packing, when necessary, will be calculated on completion and will be charged as an extra fee.

Suggested Sizes:
Minimum size 50 x 60 x 4, or 2 cm for Family Story Art (Landscape or Portrait orientation)
50x50 cm square, plain background colour of your choice for Pet Portraits

Please allow 3 weeks, minimum, for Family Story Art

Sometimes I am very busy with close deadlines, but I will always talk to you and work with you to meet special dates and deadlines as much as I am able.