Clive Hemsley’s work has attracted the attention of Henley based European Consumer Claims director and philanthropist Andrew Cooper.
“Initially I commissioned Clive to paint my own dogs,” says Andrew. “But when I saw the results, they were breath taking, and I realised we had to support him further”.
“I love the challenge of painting a cherished pet in a way that the owner recognises them straight away. Not just their likeness, but their true essence,” says Clive, whose website The Dog Portrait Artist hosts hundreds of his paintings. “We are conditioned to see the character in human faces, and even that is not always easy to translate into a work of art. Capturing the spirit of a much-loved animal is an even more specialist skillset.”
“To me, dogs have a wide range of expressible emotions but to capture their individuality is incredibly important,” continues Clive. “It’s no good just painting an accurate image of an example of the breed. The owner has to see the picture and say: ‘Yes! that’s my Rex!'”
Andrew said “ECC is a company built on helping victims, so our staff are naturally altruistic and generous natured human beings who are passionate about fighting for the underdog. Every day they give 100% of themselves in the fight for justice against ruthless timeshare companies who mis-sold memberships.”
“Whenever people, or especially animals need help ECC personnel always take it upon themselves to organise help and charity donations,” he continues. “After the Estepona wildfire they raised money for displaced animal rescue centre ADANA. More recently for AAA dog rescue, but countless other occasions too.
“Clive’s work struck a chord straight away with the 170 strong international staff of ECC. We have supported Clive’s work financially and with commissions, but what Clive really wants is to paint. He loves what he does and wants a full schedule so he can earn for his charities while creating beautiful, meaningful art”.
