Local artist Mollie Betteridge partners with Squidgebox, a gift-box company

When Mollie Betteridge, of Sheepy Magna, sadly lost her 12-year-old dog in February 2020, she knew that she wanted to preserve the memories in some way.

Since then, she has come a long way in the world of art business, rising from being a self-taught artist to partnering with a local gifting company, Squidgebox.

Squidgebox launches tomorrow, and is also a local West Midlands business. Included in its gift hampers are greeting cards designed by Mollie, with each box personalised to the meaning of the gift.

There are 'pick me up's, congratulations boxes, and more - in the modern style of an illustrator fluent in calligraphy as well as painting, Mollie is a multidisciplinary artist.

The owners of a local pub in Sheepy Magna commissioned a painting of their dog, which has attracted interest from its customers.

With the loyal word-of-mouth reputation of locals, Mollie has had a promising start to her business.

"My favourite painting to create was probably the first one, in memory of our family pet. I wanted to paint something special as a gift to my family.

"When sending in photographs of pets, it helps that they are very detailed, so that I can produce a high-quality individual painting."

Click here to visit Mollie's website.