Domini Deane, Poole based artist and illustrator

Young up-and-coming painter and illustrator Domini Deane paints fantastical watercolours and at 26 has just been published for the first time.

DOMINI Deane is like a Pre-Raphaelite painting come to life, with her long auburn tresses and porcelain complexion - a perfect blend to complement her style of watercolour painting, which she has had an all consuming passion for since she was old enough to hold a paintbrush.

Originally from Colorado, Domini has called Poole home since her early teens and has always wanted to paint, although she confessed: "I had a brief stint as a kid when I fancied being an oceanographer, but soon decided I rather paint them (fish) than tag them."

She obviously has talent and is completely self-taught, never having had or really wanting art lessons, preferring instead to experiment by trial and error, learning from others as well as gleaning inspiration from artists she admires, such as Norman Rockwell, James Gurney, Christopher Wormell and Quentin Blake to name but a few.

Over the past two years she has been working on a new portfolio which includes freehand, fine art and fantasy watercolours which caught the eye of Julie Musk from Dorset publishers, Roving Press - who commissioned her to illustrate the mythical children's book, The Portland Sea Dragon, by first time local author Carol Hunt. The book tells the story of 12-year-old Isabel travelling back in time, encountering smugglers, mermaids, a witch and an ancient sea dragon.

"Meeting Carol was wonderful," said Domini. "I read her book and she gave me lots of inspiration, taking me round Portland showing me her inspiration. The weather was very moody that day, with the sunshine coming through the cloud and hitting the water, giving the island a mythical old quality to it...and what I wanted to paint something Carol's proud of and think, 'that's what I had in my head'."

Domini works almost exclusively in watercolour (with a pinch of fairy dust), due to space restrictions but mainly for speed as her chosen medium allows her to work in exquisite detail - and unlike many artists, she also enjoys working to a deadline: "Blank paper can be an inspiration or a nightmare, and sometimes what is in your head doesn't come out how you want on paper," she laughed, "but once the roughs for the book's artwork were approved the cover was done in a month."

Her images were quick to get approval from Carol's daughter Jade, who was captivated by the pictures. "I love painting for kids," said Domini, "as they'll tell you exactly what they think!

"I'm really a big kid at heart, and I love painting everyday. For me fantasy is freedom - complete freedom to have fun!"

"Domini's paintings were wonderful," said Carol, "The fine detail on the dragon was spot on and Jade couldn't put them down. I'm amazed how she did it as she only visited Portland the once, but everything just came together."

So, what next for Domini? Carol Hunt has a further three books to accompany The Portland Sea Dragon, so with any luck the creative partnership will continue. In the meantime Domini continues to work on her portfolio and her illustrating work: "I paint every day - this is what I love."

To see more of Domini's work go to her website, www.dominideane.com

Jane Norman