An artist is hoping to entice President Barack Obama to visit Moray – by appealing to his animal-loving side.
Linda Gorn, chairwoman of Keith Kilt and Textile Centre, has followed the career of the departing American leader since he was a senator.
To pay tribute to his service she has spent two weeks creating a touching present she hopes he will cherish.
And in an effort to stand out from the truck-loads of gifts the leader will receive in the coming days Mrs Gorn decided to focus on his pet dogs Bo and Sunny.
The picture shows the Portuguese Water Dogs enjoying the sun on the lawn outside the White House.
She said: “I just wanted to do something for him that he would like and would want to keep.
“His dogs are really personal to him and it’s probably something that not a lot of people would have thought to focus on.
“I’ve done pictures of dogs before but this one was especially tricky to get the detail on the face.”
The needle-felt pet portrait was sent express delivery from Keith to the White House yesterday in order for it to arrive before the end of his presidency next week.
Tiny balls of wool were ordered especially for the project to add texture to the dog’s fur as Mrs Gorn spent days perfecting her work.
The parcel has been wrapped in colourful paper to make the gift stand out from the crates of other parcels the First Family receive on a daily basis.
And enclosed in the package is a personal invitation to the Obamas to visit Keith to get measured up for a kilt.
She said: “I figured he was going to need a holiday now. It’s a bit cheeky but knowing how much Americans like Scotland you never know.
“I think his step-mother lives in England and he’s been over for family events so it isn’t unheard of for him to come over here.”
Mrs Gorn added: “I’ve followed him for years, stayed up through the night watching his elections and he’s struck me as a distinguished and honourable person. I hope he likes it.”