As retirement approached, Bert decided to take up painting in oils, and enrolled at evening classes, where Amy joined him.  Bert's great love were rough seas, foundering ships and angry storm clouds, of which he painted many, many permutations.  Amy was better at country life scenes, landscapes and especially skies; so they pooled their best features and produced a number of joint efforts, in which Amy would do the sky and mountains in the background, and Bert would then add the waves and ships in the foreground.  Once into retirement, the painting went on so steadily, so that every local church bazaar or village fete could expect a contribution in terms of a small stack of Dransfield originals to be sold - and very popular many of them were.