Alison Cooper's work as an artist is inspired by her love of gardening.

Home-grown ruby chard, red onions, globe artichokes and bulbs of garlic nowadays provide her with both the ingredients for a family meal and the subject matter for her next exhibition!

Alison, who moved to Llanvapley with her husband Graham 18 months ago, has exhibited with the Royal Horticultural Society and won many medals.

She has also exhibited widely throughout the country including with the Tryon Gallery in London for a Botanical Artists of the World Exhibition. Her work features in Dr Shirley Sherwood's 'Collection of Contemporary Botanical Artists' which has toured the globe.

She is a regular Artist in Residence at 'Nature in Art' near Gloucester and teaches there and at home. "I loved painting flowers when I was a child but I didn't take up botanical painting in a serious way until I was married with young children," she explained. "I think I inherited an artistic gene from my father who was a soldier but also a keen amateur artist. His ambition when he retired was to spend his time painting dogs."

Alison was initially educated in army schools in the countries where her father (who was born in Chepstow) was stationed, including Egypt and Libya, before being sent to boarding school in England. "When I left school I spent six months with a family in Italy and loved it there. In the early 70s I studied fine art for a time at Newport College of Art before returning to Italy to study at Florence University. "Living in Italy I not only learnt to speak the language, I also learnt how to cook! After I left, I worked at a club in Majorca run by an Englishwoman who was married to a retired admiral 50 years her senior. Their five children were all born on their yacht! I met my husband Graham when he came to stay at the club."

Graham's work led them to spend the early years of their married life in Calcutta, but the couple eventually returned to Britain to raise their young family (son Alexander is now 28 and daughter Katherine 26). They were living in Worcestershire when Graham, who was still only in his 30s, was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Although he ultimately overcame his illness it became a turning point in their lives. "Up to that point I'd had the luxury of being a full-time wife and mother, but with Graham unable to work the future was very uncertain and I decided I needed to start earning a living," Alison explained. "I'd always loved painting fruit, flowers and vegetables because of their colours, shapes and textures. It seemed my best chance of providing us with an income. "Initially I worked with another botanical artist, Gill Graves. I had some postcards printed and was amazed when people started to buy them. "I started selling my work at charity fairs and also got my designs printed on aprons, table mats, trays, wastepaper baskets and so on. My paintings were taken up by a playing card maker and by a company producing pad blocks."

In recent years, though, she has concentrated on producing exhibition work and teaching because it means spending less time away from home. "In 1993 one of my paintings was bought by Dr Shirley Sherwood, a world-renowned collector of botanical art. It was featured in her book 'Contemporary Botanical Artists' and was included in her 'Botanical Artists of the World' collection which has been exhibited at venues across the globe. "Botanical art is not an easy subject to sell and Dr Sherwood has been a one-man-band reviving its popularity in this country."

Every year Alison teaches Painting Flowers, Fruit and Vegetables at a summer school run by Gloucester Guild of Arts and Craftsmen. "I also teach water colour painting to a group of six students who come to my home on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's nice taking a small group because it enables me to give everyone enough individual attention. The atmosphere's very relaxed. I really enjoy it."

Alison's next project is a joint exhibition with Susie Arbuthnott in Hereford. Alison takes commissions too, in particular for paintings of bridal bouquets which are presented to the newly-weds as a unique memento of their special day.