"I'm still pinching myself" Mansfield mum wins award for art

A Mansfield mum-of-three is "pinching herself" after she was voted reader's favourite in an art competition.

By Jessica Dallison

Published 13th Mar 2019, 15:16 BST

Updated 13th Mar 2019, 16:18 BST

Kirsty Owen, North Park, Berry Hill, entered her watercolour painting of an elephant, called 'Tusk', into the Artist and Illustrators Artists of the Year 2019 competition .

She was awarded £750 along with her prize.

She said: "Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote.

"I am still pinching myself."

She entered her work into the competition after vowing last year she was going paint more often.

The design worker who studied design studies at Nottingham Trent University said: “All my life I have been painting as a hobby . I should have done fine art at uni, but I have found my way back to it.

“I did landscapes and then I did pet portraits for people. This led me to falling in love with painting wild animals.”

Her painting was also exhibited at London’s Mall Galleries.