The Pet Portrait Whisperer

​One of the first acrylic paintings I created following my decades-long hiatus from digital arts was a portrait of my fur baby Jon Snow - my beloved German Shepard/Lab/Pit mutt with love in abundance and anxiety to match. And yes, he is named after the bastard son of Ned Stark on Game of Thrones. We were deep into that series when we got him almost 8 years ago.

​I went to a Pet Portrait-themed paint and sip, and I brought my friend along for emotional support. My massage therapist had told me about these, and I felt the first inklings that I needed to start painting again. I figured, if I wasn't going to be into the painting part, I would at least enjoy the wine. 

Why wouldn't I be into the painting part, you ask? The last time I had picked up a paintbrush before this class was almost 20 years ago. I had started on a baby portrait of my then newborn niece, Ingrid, and I just couldn't finish it. I simply was not inspired. To be clear, it had nothing to do with the subject. I love my niece! But the brushes and the paints felt foreign and wrong to me at the time. I had gone through some volatile changes in my life, both good and traumatic (and in the end, all good), and I felt transformatively drawn to the creation of music. So much so that painting wasn't an option for me anymore. It didn't soothe my soul. 

Painting then got thrown to the wayside in favor of the creation of and expression through music. 

I would not consider this first portrait of my dog one of my finest works, but I was able to capture his personality, and that was all I was hoping for. But as it turned out, it did so much more than that! It helped rekindle my love of painting and set me on this new journey that I have been documenting on this site. So I attended another paint and sip. And then another. About six months later, I attended another pet-themed paint and sip. Even I was astonished at the difference.

When one of our dear friends lost his pup, Logan, I felt drawn to paint yet another pet portrait. I suppose I could have kept painting portraits of Jon Snow, filling a room with them like some crazy canine version of "Being John Malkovich", but even I don't want that many paintings of my pup. Logan and Jon Snow had been friends all of Jon Snow's life, so it felt effortless to capture this gentle and lovable creature through another painting. I have been chomping at the bit to share this one with you, but I had to unveil it to his owner first. 

I feel my technique getting stronger and more confident. I enjoy every part of the process. I trust my inner voice to say "enough" when I need to break and let the piece rest before I work on it again. It's an organic and effortless flow that rarely encounters obstacles. 

I may still be on a steep learning curve in other areas, but when it comes to these pet portraits, I have found a process I enjoy, and I believe, a genuine style. The style I see coming through in these paintings is not what I may have envisioned when I first thought about "finding my style", but I am also determined to let my style show itself, rather than try to chase it down or force it out.

I have two more pet portraits already finished and one more in the works. I am even considering doing commissioned pieces. As I work through the process of honing my unique style, these pet portraits have been a welcome exercise. Baby steps, one foot in front of the other, one brush stroke at a time. 

Should you be interested in the paint and sips, I have gone to the ones at a place called Pinot's Palette - they have locations nationwide.