A North Berwick artist is hailing a “dream come true” as she gets ready to open up her first studio and shop.

Rachel Marshall is the owner of Bonzo-Art, a home-based company that creates original paintings, cards and prints.

She will be moving into her new premises in mid-September, taking over from Heart and Sole shoe shop on North Berwick High Street, whose owners decided to stop trading on the completion of their lease.

Heart and Sole opened 11 years ago, and owners Gill McKay and Tracy Telfer say they have “had a ball”.

East Lothian Courier: Rachel Marshall with Gill and Tracy from Heart and Sole

Tracy said: “We’ve had a fantastic time, but the lease was up on August 31 so we decided it was right to go out on a high. It was just the right time for us – no adverse effects or anything else; business had gone great.”

But Tracy did admit to the Courier that she would miss the customers.

She said: “We have made friends with our customers; we’ve had the same people travelling down from Edinburgh, for instance, to come shop with us.

“And we’ve had all that this week, lots of people popping in this week to say how much we’ll be missed.

“We’ll definitely miss our customers. We are really grateful for their loving support.”

Bonzo-Art started about eight years ago, after North Berwick art shop, Rock & Bird, featured Rachel’s painting Bass Rock Girl.

Rachel, 52, told the Courier: “I’ve been drawing and painting all my life, and Bonzo-Art began eight years ago when I decided to paint Bass Rock Girl and turn the image into a greetings card.

“I went around the High Street with a box of cards and it was the art shop, Rock & Bird, who first gave me my first chance of selling something I’d made.

“They took 10 cards and, a couple of days later, the then owner, Sara, phoned me and asked if I had 30 more, as she’d sold out!

“And Bonzo-Art, named after my beloved dog, began.”

Rachel has worked from home creating her unique and quirky pieces of art, many of which focus on the beautiful coastal surroundings of North Berwick and East Lothian.

Rachel still cannot believe she will soon be taking on her own studio and shop.

She said: “The business grew more than I could’ve imagined, and although I already ship my artwork, prints and cards all over the world, I’m very excited to take on a shop of my own and present a Bonzo-Art space in my own way.

“It’s a dream come true!”

She explained that the new studio would be an “open working” one, with ever-changing themes and constantly updated retail spaces which she hoped would be “fresh and exciting”.

She added: “There will always be something new to see and I’m looking forward to welcoming locals and visitors alike to chat about how and what I paint.

“There will also be sketchbooks on display for people to thumb through and see how my ideas are formed and what might be coming next.”

To find out more, follow Bonzo-Art on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up to Rachel’s newsletter at Bonzo-Art.com