CATS!

People love their cats every bit as much as people love their dogs...

click on image to enlarge

This painting was commissioned to give as a gift.  The cat on the left is no longer living but was loved and cherished.  There were only two photos to be found and they weren't good for reference for a pet portrait.  So I had to think outside the box.

Why Pet Portraits?

About a year and a half ago I received a request to do a pet portrait.  I felt confident enough with my skill set to pull it off so I agreed to do it.  I took several photographs of the dog and after reviewing them, I chose one as a reference for a graphite drawing.  

Rick

graphite drawing
size: 14 x 17 inches (approx.)
click on image to enlarge

Somehow I had been able to capture his personality in a way that the photograph did not convey.  I was intrigued.  I began to wonder if I would still be able to capture the personality of an animal even if I just had photos and had never met the animal.  How would that work?

framed size 21 x 24 inches (approx.)

It wasn't long before I received another request for a pet portrait.  This one would be much more involved than  the previous one.  The pet owner provided me with several different photos of her dog, Winston.  She wanted a drawing that would include different images of Winston from photos taken from the time he was a puppy to the present.

Winston
graphite drawing
size:  14 x 17 inches (approx.)
click on image to enlarge

   
I ended up choosing six different images which I arranged in a composition that leads the viewers eye on a journey from the paw in hand to puppy to 3 months to one year to two years to present.  This montage also included a drawing of the owner with her dog which makes it even more personalized. I like to call this type of portrait a timeline montage. 

framed size: 21 x 24 inches (approx.)
click on image to enlarge

Watercolor is my first choice of painting media.
So when I received my first request for a watercolor pet portrait, I welcomed the challenge...  

Lucy

watercolor

image size:  14 x 17 inches (approx.)

This is Lucy the labradoodle. She was so excited to meet me that we didn't get any good photos the first time I visited.  But by the second visit, she was ready to pose!

  

The next request I received was from a friend and co-worker who said he wanted me to paint his "chiweenie."  I was a little confused until he explained that he has a dog that is a cross between a chihuahua and a dachshund.

Dash

watercolor and mixed media
image size: 10 x 12 inches (approx.)

This is River...  He was the beloved pet of a local veterinarian.  She had taken him in since he had special health needs and fell in love with him.  The office staff pooled their funds to have this drawing done as a gift to show their heartfelt condolences. 

River

graphite drawing
image size: 10 x 12 inches (approx.)

My next challenge was a triple dog group portrait!  I particularly enjoyed working on this one!  I was provided with a great photo plus the English bulldog just cracks me up - such a character!

Dozer, Marty, Jake

watercolor and mixed media
image size: 13 x 15 inches (approx.)

After I finished the painting, I took it to the printer I use for my fine art reproductions.  He can create high quality digital prints on rag art paper that look virtually identical to the original.  The pet owner wanted them both framed and he gave one to his daughter and one to his wife.



Everyone has heard the saying that the eyes are the windows to soul.  When I focus on the eyes as the subject of the painting, the personality of the animal comes through more clearly as an individual sentient being.  It is powerful.

Callie
watercolor and mixed media
image size:  6 x 13 inches

Isabelle

watercolor and mixed media
image size:  6 x 13 inches (approx.)

Bella

watercolor and mixed media
image size:  6 x 12 inches

Boo

watercolor and mixed media
image size:  6 x 12 inches

I would welcome the opportunity to create a portrait of your beloved pet.  For more information, please contact me.

My email:  robinsonstephanie25@gmail.com

  I will be happy to discuss different options and possibilities with you to create something personal and unique to honor a very special bond of love.   

                                                                    

Fine art reproductions of your pet portrait can me made for you to  share with loved ones.

Framing is available.

Greeter

  One of my very best friends that I could ever hope to have was a cat named Greeter.  He was a neglected kitten that was left to fend for himself near a busy street.  I started feeding him.  When I would get out of my car to go into the apartment building where I lived, he would run out from wherever he was hiding and greet me.  I started calling him "greeter kitty".  Then the careless woman who "owned" him moved and I thought he was gone.  I didn't see him for a couple of months.  And then one night, I set a bag of garbage out on the back porch to take out the next day.  Later I heard something in the trash.  I opened the door and saw a couple of stray cats silhouetted in darkness.  I said, "What are y'all doing?", in a stern voice.  One cat ran and one cat just froze and looked at me.  I said, "Is that you, little greeter kitty?"  I invited him inside and fed him  That is when he chose me....

graphite drawing

He was mine for the next 11 years until his death.  I still miss him dearly.  I always will.  He loved me and I loved him.  After he was gone, I found a little snapshot of him that a friend had taken and made this drawing to honor his memory.  Looking into his eyes in the drawing I can still feel his spirit.  For quite some time after his death, at night, in the darkness, as I lay in bed, I could feel him walking on the bed, carefully stepping around my legs to look for a comfortable place to sleep.  I would lie very still and ask myself, "Is this really happening?  How can this be?"  I guess he was checking on me to make sure I was okay.