Iona Buchanan is an artist and illustrator whose original works have been in constant demand since she gave up work in a commercial art gallery 20 years ago to create paintings rather than to sell them.

A botanical illustrator by training and inclination, her first passion was carefully observed and beautifully detailed watercolours of flowers, fruit and vegetables - the flowering artichoke reproduced here on tea towels and cushions is an excellent example. But a series of commissions from private collectors broadened her range of subjects to include birds, sea life and cartoons.

Frustrated by the inability to keep up with the demand for originals and encouraged by clients, friends and relatives, she looked for opportunities to make her illustrations and images more widely available. It soon became evident that many of her images added charm, beauty and, sometimes, humour to numerous everyday household items.