One Hercule Van Wolfwinkle is taking the media by storm with his avante-garde pet portraits, raising money for a homeless charity.
It’s certainly not his day-job but perhaps it should be. The artist known as Hercule Van Wolfwinkle has created quite the stir with his delightful impressions of peoples’ pets. In exchange for one of these eye-catching portraits, fans have been donating to a fundraising campaign that the artist set up to raise money for homeless charity Turning Tides.
The portraits are free but the artist recommends a donation of £14.99. However, people really are giving generously and the campaign has raised an astonishing sum of money. Moreover, there are now hundreds of requests awaiting the attention of this esteemed artist and he’s somehow managing to produce 150 a week!
One man loved the long-legged portrait of his pet so much that he has had it tattoed on himself!
The artist, who began this campaign accidentally, drawing pictures of pets with his son, has an inkling as to how this ballooned in popularity: ‘I think people just found them funny, at a time when there’s not loads to smile about.’ Now the artist really is becoming famous, greeting viewers on the BBC National News and ITV News. His artwork has also featured in The Times and The Independent newspapers, with plenty more media outlets reporting on this Facebook sensation.
It seems he’s succeeded in brightening the day of pet-lovers and indeed anyone who scrolls through Facebook and happens upon one of these unconventional portraits. We can’t think of a better and more uplifting way to raise money for charity whilst bringing joy to social media users alike. Hercule Van Wolfwinkle – you’ve certainly made us smile!