TONY Cronin grew up with a passion for art, but it took him 45 years to make a fist of it.
The retired Port Macquarie school teacher recently rekindled his love for pencil sketches and now his work is on display and for sale to the public.
He was discovered by Alan and Denise Davis, who operate Masterpiece Framing.
The pair have a long history of encouraging and supporting artists in the Port Macquarie area.
A modest Mr Cronin was originally taken aback by their support, but has since embraced their idea of showcasing his work.
“I have been going in and out of Alan’s gallery for some months now to have drawings framed,” Mr Cronin said.
“Denise has been very encouraging and talked me into having them displayed with a view to selling some.”
Mr Cronin said he used to love sketching with pencils as a teenager, but was only enticed back to drawing when his sister requested a portrait of her late husband the night before his funeral a few years ago.
“We were both pleased with the result and later I began making sketches of all my relatives to give as gifts when I visited them,” he said.
Mr Cronin has drawn many well-known faces, including Hugh Jackman, Sean Connery, Leonardo di Caprio and Morgan Freeman, as well as US President Barack Obama, the late Steve Irwin and Minister for Education Peter Garrett, after he visited Port Macquaire High School last year.
Mrs Davis said that the sketches had been attracting more than the average number of people to the studio, with prints of the originals selling well.
The drawings are on display in the Colonial Arcade until the end of May at Masterpiece Framing studio.
