Artist Lisa Brook began creating her whimsical pet portraits
in 2003 on the advice of her mother.
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| Lisa Brook at Artists' Galleries de Juneau with samples of her whimsical pet portraits. |
“My mom and I sat down one day and I was growing tired of
doing visual merchandising,” she explains. She wanted to paint. Mom had a
solution. “She said ‘Why don’t you do pet portraits?’”
Brook’s first portrait was, fittingly, of her mother’s dog
Drake. She hasn’t stopped painting pets since. Some things change along the
way. The paintings may be highly colorful or very neutral, depending on the
personality of the pet and its owner, and the resource photos available.
“I have so much fun with each one,” she notes, adding “They’re
all different.” She tries to get to know the pet and its human in an effort to
best capture the personalities involved.
She expresses her art in many ways: on purses, jewelry and
household décor, as well as traditional canvas paintings. Brook takes joy in
every species, and has painted nearly every kind of pet imaginable. Her
favorite subject, however, is her own Dalmatian, Muzzy. They shared fifteen years
together and her deep relationship with the dog allowed her a degree of
connection beyond many of her subjects.
Brook works in all sizes, from miniatures to 3-dimensional
cutouts. She’s painted on all sorts of surfaces, too. Perhaps her oddest
request was for a painting on a mailbox.
With a degree in graphic design, she began her work in
visual merchandising for department stores. Now she uses those same skills to
celebrate the special relationship between pets and owners. Her work hangs at
Artists’ Galleries de Juneau, 2143 First St., in Olde Towne Slidell, LA, where
she will be celebrated as the Artist of the Month for November 2016. For other examples
of her work or to commission a portrait, visit her Facebook page: Custom Pet Portraits By Lisa.
© 2016 Mary Beth Magee
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