Living in the middle of a nature reserve and on the doorstep of so many magnificent Big 5 game parks, there is plenty of inspiration for an artist who not only enjoys wildlife but loves painting them. Living in the guesthouse, our guests are constantly asking me for original artwork they can take home as keepsakes of the adventures on their African safari or as gifts for friends and family. Not everyone wants large-scale artwork for their walls, so I have developed a range of artwork that is easy to pack and fit in your bag without taking up space or weight.

The smallest of these little paintings are 7 cm x 7 cm pocket canvasses that can be framed in extra large frames or mounted on little miniature easels. Marginally larger canvasses of 10 cm x 10 cm and 12 cm x 12 cm are snapped up as soon as they are displayed.

Alternatively, there are 10 cm x 10 cm greeting cards or work in various sizes (20 cm x 20 cm, 15 cm x 15 cm, 20 cm x 13 cm to list a gew). All work painted on paper is mounted with either white or coloured mounting board and backed with a thick backing cardboard to prevent damage and bending in transit.

The selection of artwork available is colourful and varied from a water colour effect created with acrylic glazes to thick, impasto palette work.

Special mention needs to be made to my darling husband, who patiently cuts all my mounting board and backing board. Cutting.mounting board with a beveled cutter is a slow and tedious process and requires concentration, accuracy, and patience!

Yesterday, however, we had a nasty adventure when the cutting knife slipped and took off the tip of his finger and the edge of his nail.

This has been considered a workplace injury, and workers compensation has been claimed and negotiated to a malva pudding with vanilla ice cream and custard.