Pet Portraits

One of the things that I really LOVE doing is painting (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that before).  I also love animals.  So, one of the things I really enjoy is PAINTING PET PORTRAITS for other animal lovers!   

I have been steadily adding to my portfolio as new commissions come in and 

am ready to share a few of them with you...  

Bear, a Newfoundland mix, was painted for Deb and Kyle K.  as a memorial after 
he lost his battle with cancer.  
Bear was described as a "valiant protector" and I added this custom tag in the shape of a shield, 
as a symbolic reminder of his devotion to his loving family.  

This portrait was painted for Nancy and Don R. as a tribute to their beloved Killian.

This is a portrait of Princess, an American Eskimo dog, was  commissioned by Amanda S. and Kris R.
as a gift for his Aunt Sue.   I customized this tag for her.

This painting of "Puppers" was commissioned by Michelle W. and Steve  N. as a gift for his Mother.    

I work from photos that people have taken of their pets and I always ask for a description of their pets before I begin work.   I want to know about the animal's personality and what makes them special to their people.  It may sound corny, but I keep these descriptions in my mind while I am painting and I think that it really helps me "capture" their personality on canvas.  My customers always have the choice of background colors and I love to add personalized details to the portraits when appropriate.  One of my favorite ways to do this is by adding a custom dog tag or pet tag with their name.  Usually the tag somehow relates to the personality of the pet.  Perfect examples of this are the tags I made for Bear and Princess!  

Our Funny List

So, I said I would post a pic of my version of the Subway Art craze and here it is!  "WHAT???"  I can just hear you all saying...What does this mean?

Well, you know how you and your BFF (or husband, wife, whoever) have those "you-just-had-to-be-there" moments?  Stuff that only makes sense to you and them and no one else.  That's what makes your relationship with that person so wonderful.  Those shared memories.  They're the glue that builds bonds in relationships, I think.

Anyway, a loooooonnnnngggg  time ago, when my oldest was just a baby, I was telling my mom something funny that he had said or done and my mom said "Did you write it down?  Because if you don't, you'll forget..."  So I've been keeping a "Funny List" (for lack of a better title) over the years and finally, FINALLY, figured out what to do with it!  CREATE SUBWAY ART, OF COURSE!  I was keeping things written down on a dry-erase board, and my kids LOVE to read it, but it didn't look all that attractive.  Now, it really is a work of art!

I deliberately wanted it look whimsical and handwritten, so I didn't stress about making all the letters perfect (like I normally would) and I left some space to add more as new things come up.  We all love it!