WITH foot and mouth raging through the countryside and so many businesses being hit by its effects maybe it is not the best time to be starting up a business — but going against the odds one artist is doing just that.
Vix Jevons, 25, from Sticklepath, held her debut exhibition, 'Oh For Dog's Sake', last year during the first Devon Rural Arts Week and such was its success, despite the national fuel crisis, that she has taken the plunge into animal portraiture.
She has combined her passion for dogs and painting and her work captures the characteristics of our canine friends in a humourous way.
Vix was one of 180 artists who took part in the arts week 'Nine Days of Art' organised by the STRAW Project (Skills and Training for Rural Arts Week) last September.
At a time when people are tending to stay out of the county due to the foot and mouth crisis and numbers visiting galleries are down, Vix admitted she may well 'be mad' — but she was also young and eager.
'I have put in a lot of hours and hard work setting up "Oh For Dog's Sake",' she said. 'This disaster has happened and it is easy for me to say but we have to stick together and ride this crisis out.'
Vix's exhibition can be enjoyed at Okehampton Medical Centre until the end of April.