IT has taken 60 years for Stephanie Ariss-Barker to finally pursue a lifelong love of painting and her previously hidden talent has already been discovered.

Earlier this year, the 65-year-old, from Fention, entered her first art competition. Winners would have their work published in an animal charity's calendar.

Stephanie was up against more than 200 other entrants, but her portrait of a panther was so striking that she was chosen as one of the artists whose paintings will appear in a calendar to celebrate this year's International Fund for Animal Welfare's Animal Action Week, in October.

"I'm well chuffed," admitted Stephanie. "It's the first competition I've won, apart from at a little flower and vegetable show in Feniton where the art competition first prize was £1!

"I always loved art at school and I was good at it. I wanted to pursue it, but my mum was one of those that said I was not leaving home to go to art college.

"So I became a hairdresser, which was still something artistic, but it was not what I wanted to do.

"Then I got married and had children so it's only since I've retired that I've been going to art classes.

"I paint mostly animals and wildlife, although I have done a portrait of my grandchildren and I'm trying to do one of my husband, who, unfortunately, died two years ago.

"I just relax when I paint. I love animals. At the moment I'm painting a snake, which causes quite a stir in my art class. One woman was horrified — she couldn't look at it and was talking to me sideways."

Although Stephanie loves most animals, there is one particular creature that she really dislikes.

"I can't abide slugs because they eat my garden," she confessed.

"But I've got a rescue dog who is a mongrel. He was my first attempt at acrylic painting.

"Although he is black, white and brown, in the picture I painted him black and added some blue and red for the different colours. I ended up with a psychedelic dog. It came out so funny but it's so him that I've had it framed.

"I particularly love wild big cats and I've done a series of six, one of which I entered into the competition."

The winning picture is a watercolour of a panther and it was the cat's striking eyes that particularly impressed the judges.

"It took me three hours to do the eyes," revealed Stephanie.

"My prize was a signed print by renowned wildlife artist Pollyanna Pickering."

When it comes to her own artwork, Stephanie describes herself as a traditional painter who bases her work on photographs.

Stephanie recalled: "I did go to Paignton Zoo last year and tried to paint a cheetah, but it would not stay still and people have a habit of standing in front of you so that's why I mostly do my paintings from photographs.

"At the moment I'm trying to paint the bark of a tree very, very rough so you can feel it. It's been done so a blind person can feel what I've done. That's what my art teacher, Peter Goodhall, has taught me."

Since winning her first art prize, Stephanie is feeling more confident about her future as a painter.

She said: "I've had a couple of commissions from people to do their cats or dogs.

"I'm quite happy as I am, but it would be nice to do something for a wildlife society and help preserve some of the species."