Gimmie a paw-five!
I’m Acrylipaws and you have landed on my paw-some website. I’m an artist based in Australia specialising in pet portraits and dabbling in side quests wherever my nose leads my astray! I abso-paw-lutely LOVE animals, especially dogs, and am so excited to share my love for them with you.
I have been creating artworks for clients for over 15 years now, and have experience in mediums such as graphite, water-colour, coloured pencil, and acrylics. My earlier artworks were primarily in graphite and were actually focused on people. Slowly I started to branch out and create works of landscapes and animals. Upon experimenting with coloured pencils and drawing a tabby cat with green eyes that stared into my soul, I realised that pet portraiture was calling my name! Then I dabbled in acrylics and here we are today – painting pet portraits.
Now I’ve mentioned the word ‘dabble’ a lot, and that’s because I am completely self taught. I always drew as a child from books, and then as the internet became a thing I would scour it in search of helpful blogs. My favourite blog was Zindy Nielsen (which is still running today and you can find her HERE), and Zindy truly helped me to lean into realism and portraiture. An honourable mention is also due for YouTube, as I have spent hours of my time learning from the many wonderful artists on that platform. I also tried taking two art classes at university when I attended for a degree later in life, however I had already managed to learn everything those classes had to offer some time ago. Although art school wasn’t very useful for me, it was indeed fun!
I feel my art journey now is really all about putting my skills to good use, to bring joy to others, and specifically to honour our pets. This brings me to the why; why did I choose to paint pets for others? Well, our family cat passed away. Now he wasn’t just any cat – he was the smartest, cheekiest, most loving boy a family could ask for. There was nothing I could do to save him, and believe me, I tried! The vet tried! We all tried so hard, but unfortunately it was his time to say goodbye. Coming home without him was miserable, and no longer seeing him everyday felt even worse! So I painted him. We found it helped, a little. We could look at his handsome face everyday and remember a time when he was happy and healthy. This became my ‘why’.
The next memorial portrait I completed was of a chihuahua with her favourite blanket. The client who commissioned me to paint her also had a similar reaction to my family. She felt she could somewhat enjoy her best friends company again.
Now not all of my paintings have been memorial pieces, some have been to appreciate the here and now, and some have been to celebrate big milestones. No matter the reason, no matter the pet, there has always been two things that have held true:
1. Everyone’s pet is the smartest, cheekiest, most loving family member.
2. My paintings of these family members brings immeasurable joy to the families.
If you have read this far, and had a good gander of my website, then you will have probably noticed a distinct lack of self portraits. You’re probably also wondering what my name is, and maybe even my favourite thing to do outside of art. Well, I can tell you that my favourite thing to do is to go on adventures – especially if I can bring my Border Collie with me! However, all other personal information I have chosen to omit for one simple reason…
My art isn’t about me. It’s about you. It’s about your dog. Your cat. Your chicken! I want this to be all about you and your pets. This is a space for them to shine.
Ready to commission me to paint your pet?
Click this LINK.
Not in need of a portrait but would still like to show some support?
You can follow me HERE.
Perhaps you would rather support a no kill dog shelter?
Donate HERE.
Acrylipaws Fine Art 