Articles on Pet, Dog and Horse Portraits by Joanna Culley

This part of the site is dedicated to bringing you up to date news of exhibitions that I am part of, pet portrait articles, and general snippets that might be of interest to animal lovers.

Future Exhibitions Dates for your Diary

April 2009 - Romsey Art Group Spring Exhibition - Romsey Art Gallery, Lee Lane, Romsey, Hampshire

June 27 and 28 2009 - Private Exhibition - St. John's House, Romsey, Hampshire

Please email me for more details or directions.

Joanna Recognised by Dogs Today Pet Paw Trait Artist Awards

I have been featured on the Dogs Today Magazine, in the June issue. Dogs Today concentrated on a few chosen pet artists, showcasing the work with a special campaign for 'Dog Paw-Trait Artist if the Year 2008' competition. I came runner up so there is something to aim for next year!

This feature was brilliant PR for me, and fun to be part of and thank you to all those who voted for me.

Joanna Exhibiting at the Mall Galleries, London - July 2008

As a member of the Society of Equestrian Artists a piece of my work was selected for their annual London summer exhibition. I was thrilled that my work has been selected for this prestigious event and will be shown alongside Britain's leading equestrian artists. The exhibition on from Monday 14 July 2008 to Saturday 19 July 2008 at the Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5BD.

An exhibition of the best of Equestrian art with a show featuring over 300 works, paintings, sculpture and original print. From classic studies to fluid impressions, cool bronzes to striking contemporary canvases, frenzies of colour to the clean lines of bold print, all are represented in this comprehensive show.

Entry is free, see the society website for more details www.equestrianartists.co.uk

Choosing a medium for your Pet Portrait

With regards to choosing the medium for your pet portrait I have outlined the differences so that you can choose a custom made picture that is most suitable for you, and your pet portrait subject!

Pencil

Pencil drawings are always popular. Pencil is a sensitive medium and used well it can really capture the detail of any animal. As an artist I strive to create the effect of realism and pencil really allows me to capture intricate detail. Pencil is used to create tonal values, from black to white and all the vast shades in between. I always use top quality paper and pencils to assist in the creation and in the the preservation of the piece. The finish always looks professional and unique.

Watercolour

I use watercolour a little differently to some artists, as I like to see depth of colour. Watercolour has a translucent look normally, where the artist creates soft tones and colours, where as I like to use them in a more bold fashion. I will lay the initial colours down as a wash, but spend most of my time painting in fine detail with a small bush, building up the colour as much as I can. My aim is to create as good a likeness as possible, aiming to produce a painting that is 3D. The goal is to make the pet portrait stand out from the page. The subtle translucency of watercolour is also sometimes enhanced with a little gouache paint, so that I can really bring out the fine whiskers, hair and other characteristics of the animal I am painting. The finished article will have depth of colour and be a very real depiction of the chosen animal.

Pastels

Pastels are fun for an artist to use, there is a gorgeous rich pallet of colours to choose from, and they are not translucent but are bold, striking and colourful. Pastels can be smudged on the paper to create areas of soft coat, or sharpened to draw in fine hair and detail around the eyes. I use an expensive textured pastel paper as it not only gives a better effect, but holds the pastel better over time. The end result is unique, it has a vibrancy but also soft tonal areas that all help to capture the animals personality. This is an ideal medium, especially if you want one of the larger portraits.

Pet Portraits Make the Papers

Pet Portraits made got a big spread in the Dail Mail on 3rd December 2007 when Eimear O'Hagen wrote about them. Although the article claims that pet Portraits is a craze which I think is rather an exaggeration, it was good to see pet portraits getting main stream coverage. I didn't have any of my paintings featured but there were some great examples of animal art.

It was great to see the joy that these paintings bring to people, something I always love when I get to hand over a pet portrait in person. People are clearly picking up on this more as many of the people had said that they received the pet porraits as gifts. I too am doing more pet portraits as gifts and now provide pet portrait gift certificates for those who cannot sneak the pictures needed for me to paint a surprise portrait! It also helps those that leave getting a present at the last minute.

Baby the Bionic Cat I read about this cat and I justed wanted to share this with you. A cat in London fell from a third floor window and needed to be taken to the vets for treatment. When the vet was x-rayed they not only found the sad news that it needed treatment for broken bones, but it had happened before. Metal rods and pins are now in all of baby's legs. Showing true cat resilience she seems to have made a complete recovery. The photograph of the x-ray shows the extent of the work that she has needed!