Former NHS doctor Liz Murray turned her attentions to painting and went on to create a hugely successful business selling fine art that is fun, unusual, unique and with a definite appeal to small farmers. Since becoming a full-time artist in 2016, Liz has created beautiful paintings of every British countryside animal imaginable, but these artworks are extra eyecatching and appealing because every single one of the animals she portrays sports some form of human clothing. Highland cattle wear wide-brimmed hats; pheasants can be seen in wellies, dairy cows in farmers’ caps and hares in scarves or gilets.
As I peruse her pictures, my eyes are drawn to a painting of geese getting married. One is sporting a top hat, the other a bridal veil. Liz shows me a similar painting of two loved-up pheasants, also in wedding garb, and she goes on to point out that her painted pictures of dogs in Wellington boots also wearing bow ties or caps are popular among dog owners. Sheep, in boots too, are firm favourites among her clientele as well.
Liz began painting at a young age and was constantly creative during any spare time she found herself with. She worked on fine art commissions part-time while studying at university; she qualified as a doctor in 2011, worked in a hospital for six years, but eventually gave all that up to pursue her dream of spending her days with a paintbrush in hand and a rainbow of colours in a palette by her side.
“I loved working with patients, and I felt privileged to be able to assist people who were at their most vulnerable,” says Liz, who spent a year in A&E at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, before a stint in obstetrics and gynaecology at King’s Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. A year in paediatrics followed and then two years of senior house officer work and, subsequently, training to be a GP. However, the long hours and demanding work took their toll.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy
Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century
