A 71-year-old artist from Connecticut was shot to death Tuesday at the hands of her husband, who then turned the gun on himself, according to police.

Terry Oakes Bourret was discovered dead from a gunshot wound to the head inside the Durham home she shared with her husband, 74-year-old Donald Bourret, who was also found unresponsive.

The couple's pet dog had been shot to death outside the house.

Double tragedy: Police in Connecticut say Donald Bourret (left), 74, shot dead his wife, local artist Terry Oakes Bourret (pictured right with her dog Murphy), 71, and their pet before turning the gun on himself

What lies beneath: The elderly married couple were found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds to the head in their Durham, Connecticut, home Tuesday

The medical examiner's office ruled Oakes Bourret's death a homicide and that of her husband a suicide, reported WFSB.

State troopers responded to the Bourrets' home at 73 Main Street in Durham at around 7.30pm Tuesday after getting a 911 call about two bodies found inside the residence.

Career change: The 71-year-old retired nurse took up painting full time about 30 years ago and set up a studio at the back of her house

Oakes Bourret was a retired nurse-turned painter and art teacher whose works have been exhibited throughout Connecticut.

The 71-year-artist took up painting full time about 30 years ago and set up a studio at the back of her house, where students of all ages would come for classes.

Her artworks, 300 of them displayed on her website, depict bright and cheerful landscapes, everyday scenes from around Durham, florals and pets.

Last year, she won the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society Gold Medal for a painting titled Sidewalk, adding to her collection of some 100 awards, according to Durham Town Times.

Hartford Courant reported Donald Bourret was a retiree who wrote a movie review column for the Durham Library.

His final review was of the critically acclaimed thriller Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a sociopathic cameraman obsessed with grisly crimes.