Elaine Hurford, a former Cape Town public relations consultant and journalist, moved with three dogs and a cat to the small Karoo town of Prince Albert in April 1994.

“My roots were here and I had a hankering for the wide open spaces; I imagined a lovely life, sitting serenely on the verandah, smelling the roses.

“Pure fantasy! I spent the next ten years renovating a derelict 1835 farmhouse, learning to repair windmills, preserve olives and apricots, deal with stray ostriches and goats and the many other eccentricities of small town life. Not to mention doing two other jobs just to keep the wolf from the door.”

The farmhouse became the well-known three-star guesthouse Dennehof, and in 1997 it was declared a National Monument. During this time Elaine also produced a series of hardcover travel titles for Struik Publishers, continued her communications work for the Mount Nelson Hotel and various other Cape Town clients, and opened an estate agency.

“For 10 years Dennehof was my canvas, and I poured all my creativity into my home and garden. But the Karoo light and landscapes provide constant inspiration, and finally it found an outlet in art.

“Dogs are my passion, and it was inevitable that I’d start painting pet portraits.

Every pet portrait I paint is a tribute to my special canine soulmates Norman and Gloria, who accompanied me on my Karoo odyssey for 13-and-a-half years, and have left a huge hole in my heart. And to all my other pets – the cats and dogs - who I have loved throughout my life”.

Elaine also does large flower studies in oils, and small watercolours of Karoo landscapes and buildings. She is “cautiously” venturing into portraits of children, starting with portraits of her grandchildren Gabriel (8) and Rose (5) , who live in Cape Town.