Meeting strangers: Anita
We met Anita one lunchtime in a café in Petworth after our visit to a nearby National Trust Property. She was with her little dog, Benji, who was wanting to be friendly with us. I asked to take his photo, which led us into conversation.
Anita told us they were in the area house-sitting for her niece, away on holiday in New York. Billy the cat also lives in the house, not a problem as he and Benji ignore each other - after a quick hiss and scramble!
I explained my strangers' portrait project and she was happy for me to take her photo. In response to my request for information about herself, she told me about her interest in craftwork: decoupage and pyrography.
She has since sent me photos and explained that she taught herself decoupage, the art of decorating objects with paper cutouts, during lockdown. It involves taking items, painting them, and decorating with images mainly cut from napkins. "Very relaxing and time consuming, just what I needed to while away the days during lockdown!"
Pyrography is the art of burning decorative designs on wooden items with a heated tool, which Anita learnt, also self-taught, during 2025. She described this as "fun to learn as different woods burn differently and I hope to return to this to learn more about shading and techniques in general."
I must admit that the idea of pyrography seemed a little hazardous before Anita enlightened me.
I promised to send photos and the link to her story when posted.
Mutual thanks and goodbyes made, we left the warmth inside the café to be on our way home. It had been a lovely and unexpected encounter.
Meeting strangers: Anita
We met Anita one lunchtime in a café in Petworth after our visit to a nearby National Trust Property. She was with her little dog, Benji, who was wanting to be friendly with us. I asked to take his photo, which led us into conversation.
Anita told us they were in the area house-sitting for her niece, away on holiday in New York. Billy the cat also lives in the house, not a problem as he and Benji ignore each other - after a quick hiss and scramble!
I explained my strangers' portrait project and she was happy for me to take her photo. In response to my request for information about herself, she told me about her interest in craftwork: decoupage and pyrography.
She has since sent me photos and explained that she taught herself decoupage, the art of decorating objects with paper cutouts, during lockdown. It involves taking items, painting them, and decorating with images mainly cut from napkins. "Very relaxing and time consuming, just what I needed to while away the days during lockdown!"
Pyrography is the art of burning decorative designs on wooden items with a heated tool, which Anita learnt, also self-taught, during 2025. She described this as "fun to learn as different woods burn differently and I hope to return to this to learn more about shading and techniques in general."
I must admit that the idea of pyrography seemed a little hazardous before Anita enlightened me.
I promised to send photos and the link to her story when posted.
Mutual thanks and goodbyes made, we left the warmth inside the café to be on our way home. It had been a lovely and unexpected encounter.