The Siamese cat!

One thing about animal portraiture and that is the wonderful array of both animals and their people that I get to know! Of course I often create artwork without meeting the animals (through their owner's photos), but listening to how the owners describe and talk about their pets is the key to painting them accurately!

It's not just the image. It's what is in the owner's heart that makes the difference between artists striving for photographic likenesses or photography vs "painting with your heart." There is a big difference in the final result!

I am a Siamese cat. Obey me!

When I posted this lovely Siamese, Cleo, on Facebook, I said "Dogs will do anything for their humans". And then I added "Owners will do anything for their cats!" In this 14 x 18 pastel that I created with PanPastels, I worked from the owner's photographs-not great ones-but I could compensate from her description of Cleo...her 14 year old Siamese cat.....no let me re-phrase that....her 14 year old "boy", her pride and joy, her rock, her friend, her companion.....her comfort. 
And knowing what an animal means to it's human and loving them yourself is what makes the final portrait meaningful! Or as my client said:

"Can you hear me screaming joy??? I love it, it's my boy :) !!! Sitting up so proud and proper. It's wonderful Theresa

Yippee!!!! (biggest smile i've smiled in a long time and just what I needed this week! Woo hoo!!

thank you so much!"

Taking the Horse portrait beyond the photo.

How can you not love the beauty of a horse? It's been the subject of artists for centuries.....dating back to the cavemen days (think Neanderthal caves in France!)

I created this 20 x 28 saddlebred on sanded paper using NuPastels and PanPastels while at a show in Raleigh, NC.

When creating portraits of animals, expression is what sets your art apart from that of another artist. In creating expression, the eyes are everything!


Body language is important as well. Notice the proud, upright stance of this lovely horse? The head carriage is typical of a Saddlebred.

This closeup of the head of the same image shows the details of the eye and it's individual expression.

The tack (or lack of) always plays a part in the final portrait, so it's important to depict the accuracy for the breed and discipline.

Artists need to know and study the horse, the different disciplines, the different breeds! They are not generic and knowing the traits of the one you are creating allows you to develop a painting far beyond just a photographic likeness!