PAINTINGS by four of Kentmere House Gallery’s favourite artists, Susan Bower, Elaine Turnbull, Oliver Canti and the late Jack Hellewell, are being transformed into cards for sale in aid of York charity Keep Your Pet.

Gallery owner Ann Petherick was involved in setting up the pet service in 2012 that helps older people to look after their animals at times of illness, and the cards are her latest contribution to the cause.

"All the images are of dogs or cats but the styles of paintings are very different.," says Ann. "Tadcaster artist Susan Bower regularly paints animals in a home setting, which gave the Keep Your Pet committee some difficulty in choosing. Eventually they settled on Little & Large, showing the typical eagerness of a Dalmatian on a walk.

"Former Beverley artist Elaine Turnbull, who now lives in Cornwall, has contributed Blackberry Wine, a striking painting reminiscent of the work of highly regarded Scottish artist Elizabeth Blackadder."

Somerset artist Oliver Canti is the only one of the four not on show at Ann's Scarcoft Hill gallery at present. "However, we hope to show some of his paintings later in the year," she says.

"Oliver describes himself as 'a painter of animals doing daft things' and All In The Same Boat, the choice for his card, is typical of the humour to be found in all his work."

Jack Hellewell’s animals in his artwork were always based on those owned by his daughter. "They were always striking but never sentimental," says Ann. "The card features Rainbow Cat, which is immediately recognisable as his work. The original painting, by the way, is now on its way to a buyer in Mexico."

The cards are available from the York gallery at £1.50 each or four of any design for £5. All proceeds will go to Keep Your Pet, a unique collaboration between the York & Selby branches of Age UK and the RSPCA's York and District branch.

"Keep Your Pet helps older and vulnerable people in the York and Selby areas to maintain their independence and keep their pets with them, by providing pet care when needed," says Ann. "The scheme offers peace of mind to pet owners and the opportunity to continue to look after their pets once the emergency is over. Continuing pet contact is known to aid recovery following illness."

The service provides help such as pet fostering, dog walking and pet feeding during emergency periods or for predictable short-term requirements, such as an admission to hospital. Anyone concerned about acquiring help in an emergency can pre-register their pets through Age UK York at ageuk.org.uk/york