Sue McDonagh ArtistStudio & Gallery

Sue McDonagh works from a studio and gallery in the Old Wool Barn, a converted barn of individual makers' studios off Cowbridge High Street. She began painting professionally in 1987, after being given a sketchpad and paints while recovering from cancer treatment as a young police officer; she tested the idea at a fete in Llantwit Major that year, charging £2.50 for on-the-spot portraits and completing sixty in a single day. She now works mainly in pastels, oils and acrylics, painting commissioned portraits of children and coastal landscapes in a bright, contemporary style, and has also published illustrated books. The gallery is open to the public on most Saturdays and by appointment during the week, when visitors can see current work and discuss commissions directly with her. Access is via the lane beside Arthur John's hardware shop into Verity's Court, in the same building as several other working makers.