Liz Pepperell

When you look at Liz Pepperell’s portfolio, it’s no surprise to discover that one of her favourite pastimes is visiting gardens. Two of her favourites are Nymans in West Sussex and Knightshayes Court in Devon, but she’s yet to decide which one’s best in the Midlands, where she new lives. Chatsworth is up there, she says. On top of loving the plants and flowers she paints, Liz enjoys renovating old houses – especially if she finds things under the floorboards like broken pots, buttons, parts of old pipes, marbles and mouse nests. She even found a beehive, once. Until recently, she kept a small flock of sheep and while they can be chaotic as a herd, she misses the quiet dignity of them as individual animals. One of her favourite artists is Stanley Spencer, and she has a print of his painting of rock roses on her wall. Her very first job was vegetable illustrations for Carters Seeds.