Veteran entertainer Barbra Streisand has found a new outlet for her creativity after picking up a paintbrush and easel to help her relax.

The Funny Girl star has always admired good art, but she only started to paint and draw for herself last summer (13), and now her home is filled with portraits of her family members, her beloved dog, Sammy, and colourful landscape pieces.

The private superstar showed off some of her efforts on Friday (07Feb14) after inviting cameras from U.S. breakfast show Today into her mansion, and admitted her new hobby has helped her de-stress from the pressures of life in the spotlight.

She says, "I've just started really... This is a great thing, 'cause this is not like being in the theatre where you get the critique from the audience at the moment; this is like making movies for me - you put out the work, you are not the work. The work stands by itself."

Streisand isn't the first celebrity artist - Johnny Depp, David Bowie, Rolling Stones veteran Ronnie Wood, Sylvester Stallone, comedian Jim Carrey and actress Lucy Liu are just some of the stars who have taken to the blank canvas to create art.