What Makes for a Uniquely Unforgettable Gift?

In the book Artpreneur, the author suggested that artists concentrate on what they enjoy painting the most if they want to take their artwork seriously as a business, rather than as a hobby. If the focus is on making artwork that YOU actually love making, then hypothetically, when people want more, you’ll be happier making tons of that artwork. 

When I thought about that, I realized that I love painting octopuses, but I also love painting animals, in general. I had done several “animal butt” paintings in acrylic, and they were fun to create. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the details of painting the fur.

So, I have found my niche. My focus is basically on animals. And within that category, sea creatures like octopuses, but also… pet portraits!

If you’ve seen my art, you might realize that my pet portraits will not be “typical.” I want to paint portraits of pets in fun colors! In some of the pet portraits I’ve done, I combined the animal’s actual fur colors with my imagined “fun” fur colors. I am very fortunate to have several friends who wanted portraits of their pets over the last couple of years, and I would really love to do more of them!Here are a few examples…

Here are a few examples…

I can make pet portraits in just about any size, from a small pocket-sized portrait to a large, in-your-face portrait. I can paint them in acrylics or watercolors. I’d prefer to make them colorful, but I can also be convinced to use a realistic color palette.

A pet portrait is a really cool gift for someone who is absolutely obsessed with their pet. You can purchase a gift certificate, and then I would meet with the recipient to discuss what exactly I would be painting.

I am typically given a high-quality photograph to work from. I would estimate that from start to finish, the whole process takes four to six weeks.