About
Hi! My name is Jo Gough and I'm the founder of Mementos of Home. I am a Cheshire born artist who has a passion for painting. Like many of us, when it came to picking a career path, I started to think more practically about my future. It was a close call between Art and IT, but in the end, I listened to my head and opted to study for an HND in Computer Programming and went on to work for Local Government for many years. Despite making this career decision, my heart would not be silenced and I continued to indulge in my passion for art in my spare time.
At first, I did this for self enjoyment but as friends and family started to make requests, I soon realised I had the potential to earn a living doing what I loved. In 2013, I was asked to paint a local landmark for a 70th birthday gift. I painted the iconic Liverpool waterfront and the compliments were overwhelming. This was a pivotal turning point as I embraced this new genre of painting buildings and iconic landmarks.Landmarks became my passion and it was whilst sharing my work on my facebook site that I was contacted by a Liverpool expat living in Toronto called Cheryl. Cheryl loved my work, especially the paintings of her beloved home town of Liverpool. She went on to order a large 100x50cm print which she proudly displays in her Toronto home as a special memento of home. Cheryl encouraged me to advertise to expats across the globe and thus the aptly entitled Mementos of Home business was born!
I am passionate about my business and I'm proud that my paintings can add touch of nostalgia into a person's home! I primarily works with acrylic paints applied to various sized canvases. Using digital images, my art work it is transformed into a wonderful array of gifts.
My gift range is now stocked in numerous museums, visitor centres and gift shops including the National Museums and Galleries in Liverpool and the Chester Visitor Information Centre.
My base is a little studio at home in Cheshire where I live with my husband, 3 children, a cat and a mini lop rabbit called Louis!