AN artist with a love of painting wildlife used her creative talents to make life imitate art at an Oxford pub.

Pierina Matthews' Tackley home was full of images of horse, cats, dogs and even a falcon, but as her daughter Gemma approached school age she decided to take her animals to market and start painting for profit.

One of her first commissions in December 1987 was for John Hunt – landlord of the Chequers Inn in St Thomas's, Oxford.

It was the local for workers at the Post Office sorting office, where her husband Ian did the night shift.

Pride of place in the bar of the Chequers went to a painting of the pub itself, plus one of spaniel Rose, who lived there.

Trained at Bournemouth and Poole Art College, she previously specialised in ceramics, and by the 1980s had a complete pottery (including kiln, wheel, and a large quantity of clay) with items for sale at her father's farm in Postcombe, near Thame.

Her mother, Queenie Ridone, also painted, as did her father-in-law Jack Matthews from Kidlington - the trio even holding a family exhibition together.