Fluke came from the RSPCA at St Columb in July 2007, when she was about 6 years old. She is a brindle lurcher, of mixed parentage: greyhound/whippet, and at a rough guess, a fair bit of collie. She is part puppy, part couch-potato; a wonderful companion, who picks her way delicately through the studio clutter, whirls like a dervish if there is a stick to be thrown, and settles down under the easel for hours at a time on painting expeditions.
Many visitors to the gallery are unaware of her presence, curled up under the desk, others are greeted with a brief sniff or lick. She has learned the opening hours by heart, and likes her lunchtime outing to be prompt. She has, as yet, shown no preference for representational painting, or abstraction, but seems happy to keep an open mind.