Portrait of Reuben* - canine star of "Monty Halls' Great Escape" series

Thank you to everyone who bid on this auction, which ran from 14 May until 11 June 2010. The final total raised at the close of the Auction was £250, but the very generous winning bidder doubled the total, donating £500 to Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary in Bristol, where Monty adopted Reuben from.

A scan of the painting - Click to enlarge

Signed by the duo - Click to enlarge

After watching the series "Monty Halls' Great Escape" last year and enjoying the amusing antics of Monty's dog Reuben, I thought it would be a nice idea to paint his portrait and then auction it to raise money for a worthy cause. You can see Reubs having a great time in the Outer Hebrides in the current series "Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape" on Wednesdays, BBC2 at 9pm.

Reuben was adopted by Monty from Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary in Bristol prior to their first adventure in North West Scotland. The current financial climate has hit Holly Hedge hard and all money raised by this auction will be donated to them. I’m hoping Reuben’s fans’ generosity will go somewhere towards helping the Sanctuary continue to rescue dogs and cats from the Bristol area, and enable them to find a loving home just like Reuben has. For further information about Holly Hedge, please visit their website www.hollyhedge.org.uk

I have received these kind comments from Monty with regards to the painting and worthy cause which all proceeds of the sale will be donated to:

”Thanks so much for your wonderful portrait of Reubs. You've really captured the likeness perfectly, and everyone I've showed it to has commented on the uncanny similarity to the real thing!

And also thank you for offering to donate any money you raise from the sale to Holly Hedge. It will mean the world to them, as they are genuinely struggling, and any money that comes in now is an absolute lifeline. They really do a very good job with the animals they take in, and hopefully if they can make it through the next few months they'll be okay in the longer term.” – Monty Halls

"Thank you so much for painting a portrait of Reuben and auctioning it for Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary - this is such a kind gesture. It seems like an uphill struggle right now, but we are determined to remain a safe haven for animals in need of help." - Holly Hedge

A huge thank you to Monty and Suze for their help organising this auction and providing the lovely photos of Reuben for me to work from – and not forgetting a thank you to Reuben too!

For further information about Monty Halls and Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary, please visit:

www.montyhalls.co.uk
www.hollyhedge.org.uk