Category: custom pet portraits

November 19, 2014

Six Westie Portrait: A Legacy of Love

Painting by BZTAT

I once painted a portrait that featured 8 dogs of different breeds, and I once painted a portrait of 3 Westies (West Highland Terriers). So, when I was asked to paint a portrait with 6 Westies, I said, “Sure! I can do that!”

It turned out to be a bigger challenge than I expected. I found that it takes a few visual “tricks” to make a painting with so many white colored animals visually appealing.

I think I pulled it off, though. What do you think?

This portrait was very special to the family who commissioned the painting. The six animals featured are/were pets that filled the family’s home with love for many years.

There is Spooky (top right), who was the first pet of a young newly married couple. Spooky was a loving dog who was very protective of the couple’s first child. Although he has long since passed, Spooky’s presence is still felt in the home. A statue of Spooky greets visitors at the front door, and a flowering fruit tree grows in the spot where he was buried.

Daisy (top center) was a sweet girl who was best pals with Chadwick (bottom right). Both of these two pups were ‘talkers’ and they were quite affectionate. Sadly, Daisy’s life was shortened after 5 years by a brain tumor. Chadwick, a somewhat stubborn character, found a new buddy in Petunia (top center). Although she was a petite pup, Petunia was clearly an ‘Alpha’ dog who guarded her personal boundaries with ferocity.

Violet (bottom left) and Clover (bottom center) are the two pups who presently enliven this home that has seen such a legacy of loving Westies. Violet is a somewhat pensive dog who is a regal guardian for the home. She is very observant and attentive to her human companions, yet she has a mind of her own, only coming when called if she feels like it. Clover is an adventurous explorer of the great outdoors, and she is also a playful instigator. Both are sweet girls who love their humans very much.

I had the opportunity to meet Violet and Clover when I delivered the painting. They are, indeed, very sweet and fun! Their humans are charming as well.

I enjoy painting legacy portraits where a family’s history is memorialized through their love of the animals who have shared their lives with them. The relationships that we develop with our pets are deep and enduring, so what better way is there to trace a family’s legacy of love?

Margaret, one of Violet and Clover’s humans, was so inspired by the process of commissioning the portrait, she decided to try her hand at painting a portrait herself in my recent Pet Portrait Painting Mini-Retreat. Her daughter will be joining us with a friend at my next Mini-Retreat on Black Friday. We would love to have you join us!

I don’t think we will see Margaret painting 6 pups in one portrait anytime soon, but you never know…

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

The Six Westie portrait is a Premiere Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Painting. Check out the in-process photos of the Six Westie portrait here!

October 27, 2014

Portrait of Claude – Cat on the Street Turned “Catification” Star

Painting by BZTAT

Many of the animals whose portraits I am commissioned to paint come from humble beginnings. Often, a pet who has been rescued from dire circumstances becomes a beloved pet, and the humans whose lives are touched by it ask me to paint the animal’s portrait.

Few, however, have as compelling a story as my most recent subject, Claude.

Claude is a blind white cat who lives in Phoenix, AZ. He once was part of a feral cat colony tended by two dedicated human caregivers who continue to feed the group and ensure that all of the cats are neutered. As one of his caregivers, Kate tells it:

One day I noticed that Claude was running into things and couldn’t find his way through the hole in the fence where we feed them. He had recently had a big wound on the side of his head and that is probably what caused him to loose his sight.

I was able to pet him when he was eating so I scooped him up and brought him inside. I’m the only one who can pet him and only if the moment is right and I approach him from the right angle. But once I start petting him he loves it! He’s been in the studio for two years now and he’s fat and happy! Well, as happy as a grumpy cat can be…

Living on the streets in a feral colony is not an easy life for a cat. Being blind and on the street is a tragedy waiting to happen. Thankfully, Claude had a savior, and he now lives a great life indoors.

But the story does not end there.

Claude did not stumble his way into just any studio. He found his way into the studio of Kate Benjamin, Cat Style Expert, founder of cat style website Hauspanther, and recently honored New York Times Best-selling Author for her co-authored book Catification with Jackson Galaxy.

Claude is not only living a life of comfort now. He is living in style!

Although he cannot see the great colors in the cat bed upon which he lounges in his portrait, he certainly knows that he is of value, and that his caregiver loves him deeply. He has clearly “catified” his domain, and I am certain he has had the opportunity to test out some of the most fabulous cat style products available on the market.

Catification, in case you wondered, “is about creating feline-friendly environments that cater to a cat’s natural instincts to climb, perch, rest, play, and own their space.” It is as much about creating a home environment that allows for cats’natural behavior as it is about creating a stylish dwelling for cat lovers.

I have known Claude’s caretaker Kate for a few years, and I have admired her style and unique knowledge about cats. Her partnership with Jackson Galaxy of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell not only brings an element of celebrity to her work, it also brings a mix of style and knowledge about cat behavior to people who desire the best for their cats. Kate has been featured in various media, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NY Daily News, and CBS Sunday Morning, and she often is a guest on Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell with cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy.

Beyond all of that, Kate is a wonderful person who lives a life dedicated to her own 12 cats, as well those beloved by many around the world.

“I would like to see every cat in a happy, loving, forever home, and I want to keep them there through design.” ~Kate Benjamin

Painting Claude’s portrait was a privilege. I cannot wait to see the painting take it’s place in such a wonderfully catified space!

Interested in a portrait of your pet? Click here for more information.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

April 6, 2014

Family Portrait: Cats, cats, and more cats and some wonderful cat loving people.

Premiere Custom Pet Portrait Painting by BZTAT

Hattie and Bubba are two amazing cats. They are Savannah Cats, a breed that is a cross between a domestic cat and the serval, a wild African cat. I have never met these two felines, but I have followed their antics through their human caregivers’ Facebook pages with great joy. They are young cats, I am thinking younger than 2 years, and they are full of energy.

Bubba (right) was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor a few months ago, and he has been receiving rigorous treatment. I was thrilled to learn that, on the day I completed his and Hattie’s portrait, Bubba had gone to the vet, and he was given a clean bill of health. His tumor was all gone!

Hattie and Bubba inhabit the home of Scott, Jill and Addison – three very committed cat lovers. It has been my pleasure to paint a full collection of portraits for this family, totaling 6 portraits of 7 cats! First there was Murphy. Then there was Sasha, and then Cleo. Sebastian came next, then Powder, and then finally, Hattie and Bubba.

You can see all of there portraits in this slide show.

Sadly, some of these felines are now at the Rainbow Bridge and no longer a part of this life. That is what is so special about a portrait. It keeps the positive memories alive.

Custom Portrait by BZTAT

As a special gift, I also created a portrait for Scott and Jill when they adopted their young daughter, Addison at the end of 2012. Again, though I have never met them in real life, I feel as though I know the whole family, human and feline, connected as we are through social media and artistic expression. I rarely give an artwork to a customer as a gift, but I decided to do so with this one for such loyal customers and for such a blessed event.

So what will come next in the collection? Well, I hear that Scott is wanting to add a dog into this joyful menagerie. I can only imagine the possibilities!

Would you like a portrait of your pet or child? I would love to crate artwork for your family! See info about custom pet portraits here, and custom child portraits here.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT