It’s fair to say Ann Hunt was a late bloomer when it came to art.

After dabbling with painting early on in her life, but not sticking with it because she didn’t like what she was producing, Ann spent 30 years as a vet, a farmer and also running an equestrian centre in her native Scotland.

“I’ve always had an interest in painting but never had time to indulge,” she said.

“Now I have the time and the opportunity to produce paintings I like – but I never had any intention of selling them.”

It was after retiring and moving with her husband Peter to Malvern three years ago that Ann rekindled her love of painting, following a cruise around South America.

“There were lessons for watercolour painting onboard and I really enjoyed them,” explained Ann.

“I continued when I came home and studied an art course at London Art College. I was enjoying doing landscapes but didn’t have a passion for it.

“Then I found some old photographs of a safari I’d been on and painted some of the animals – my tutor told me this was what I must paint, and I found it’s what I wanted to paint.”

Ann left the course with a diploma and distinction, and after having her work featured at The Wildlife Art Society International Annual Exhibition at Nature in Art, has found her talents to be in high demand.

She continued: “Selling at the exhibition at Nature in Art gave me confidence, it’s very prestigious and very exciting.

“From there I got involved in the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.”

David Shepherd was a wildlife artist and conservationist whose foundation is now focused on supporting wildlife projects in Africa and Asia.

Through the foundation Ann last year became involved with Game Rangers International, an organisation based in Lusaka, Zambia.

“I spent three weeks at an elephant nursery,” said Ann. “They take two volunteers each month and the ethos is they don’t want people who are just there to cuddle elephants!

“The work was quite varied, making food, cleaning stables, walking them out – though they wanted to keep them as free from human contact as possible.

“It was a life-changing experience, being away from everything else going on in the world. I did some drawings and paintings of the elephants and had cards made of them.”

Ann’s cards are now available for visitors to the Lilayi Elephant Nursery to buy, as well as being on sale at The Malthouse Emporium in Ashchurch near Tewkesbury.

20% of all profits go to the David Shepherd Foundation, which in turn feeds through to Game Rangers International – “it’s good to know where the money is going,” said Ann.

And Ann – whose work at the nursery has earnt her the nickname “the elephant lady” – already has plans to return to Zambia.

She added: “I’ve been invited back in June as an artist to continue to support wildlife conservation.

“I’m focused on what I want to do and it’s given me another lease of life – it’s something I enjoy but I’m also not just painting for the sake of it.”

To see more of Ann’s work or contact her about commissions visit her website www.owlsendart.com