Sookie & Stella Went Under the Tree

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

What is so special about receiving a portrait of a beloved pet for Christmas aside from the obvious joy it brings? Well, you never have to upgrade it or download anything to it to improve it. You will never walk up to it and think, I can't wait until next year's model comes out and they fix the bug this one has. No one will come knocking and say a membership is due to keep it current nor does it come with directions and a small baggy of tools to help assemble it. Portraits are old school. They are simple and hang in silence though they have the ability to move the viewer to another time without ever buying a plane ticket. They have a certain life though need no remote control or batteries. They are a reflection of what an artist saw in your best friend and they are forever just as they are. But really, what is the very best part about receiving a custom pet portrait? Every single time you look at it your dog is behaving perfectly; no training classes required! What a priceless gift!!

Happy New Year, all you wonderful dog-loving people!!

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Dahlia's Favorite Flavor

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

My housemate asked me to paint her parents sweet rottweiler that they just had to say goodbye to, as a Christmas present for them. I love this breed so much and know from first hand experience how hard it is to say goodbye to them. Their years just don't add up like most dogs and they rarely make it into their teens.  I was told Dahlia was very loved and also quite spoiled as a good rottie should be. Her human mom would walk her to their local ice cream parlor for a scoop of her favorite treat and Dahlia relished it. I really enjoyed creating this painting and hope her portrait will bring just a little bit of comfort and joy.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Beatrice Storms the Beach

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

This beautiful girl lives in Santa Barbara, Ca, and gets to visit the dog-friendly beach every day. When I met her, she was running full basset steam ahead with another of her kind and together they were bringing up the rear of a pack of about 7 blissed-out, big, slap-happy, tongue hanging out mutts. She came up to me for some pets and then scanned the horizon for the new scent her nose had just picked up on and then took off with her mates down the beach howling and barking in hot pursuit.  Beatrice is living the life.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns Falls

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I took a trip out to Big Sur, California this past summer and was flabbergasted by its perfection; miles and miles of it. There were so many state park on the PCH, but we made a beeline for this one. The beach where the waterfall makes its way to the ocean has rarely even felt the footsteps of man. The family that owned the land almost a century before had declared it off limits to park visitors when they gave it to the State of California. A walk along the trail high above this paradise was still inspiring and I took many pictures to bring back to the studio to render just a corner of this precious gem in Big Sur.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

San Francisco Chinatown

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

When I was visiting San Francisco this summer, I took quite a few reference photos. But none of them sparked my interested quite like the one I took of Chinatown. The great architecture, the festive feel of the lanterns crisscrossing over the street and all that light! It was primed as a perfect cityscape painting! So here it is, my rendering of San Francisco's beautiful and bustling Chinatown.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Best Dog Park in the World

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I doubt I will ever forget the bliss Rose exhibited when she barreled down the long flight of wooden steps that ended on the sands of the beach in Santa Barbara, Ca; it was indeed love at first sight, actually every sight for Rose. The long stretches of shore were loaded with smells any dog would relish. The cool ocean water and that constant breeze off the mighty blue Pacific always delighted her into endless silly dog shenanigans.  She made friends every time we visited and dragged her feet appropriately when it came time to leave. I find comfort in the belief that Rose has made it back there and is enjoying her favorite playground anytime she wants for as long as she wants....there was just no place she'd rather be.  

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Full Steam Ahead!

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I just love small dogs especially when they are running full steam ahead. In this painting, Delilah wasn't about to be left behind and flew little dog style to her Mommy when she was called to join them for a ride into town. My favorite part about how she was captured was tail straight up and one foot on the ground; very much the reason she won third place in my long ago held contest, "Your Dog in Motion".

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Friend or Foe?

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

My girl, Rose, had a bit of a prey drive. I know she found chasing things off great fun. She did it to cats and squirrels and birds...birds, Rose, really? Mind you, she never hurt a fly, (she didn't like flies, either) she just loved to see if her big bark would send them for the hills. I'd always tell her in the middle of her game, "Rose! That is not funny!" as her nubby Rottie tail wagged as fast as it could. She'd sneeze and come over to me embarrassed she got caught again doing something so uncivilized. When the hummingbird season arrived in Santa Barbara, much to my chagrin, she took up her game with them as well. So, I decided to create a painting of her being curious and well-mannered with my much loved little enchanted friends and gave the painting a name that empowered her small harmless foe. "Fearless Flight" is one of my all time favorite paintings having two of my favorite subjects in it; Rose and a brave Ruby-throated hummingbird.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Lester takes the Prize

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I'm always on the look out for top models. I like them hairy and with lots of character in their face. I like squished noses and wonky whiskers, the more wrinkles on the face the better.  I've always loved the Pug breed; I know them to be as wonderful on the inside as they are on the outside. This handsome boy, who answers to Lester, won my facebook contest "Who Loves a Pug".  From a photo I could see how special he was and knew he was loved to the moon and back by his family. I was thrilled and honored to paint such a top model's portrait. Here's winkin' at you, Lester!

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

The Colorful Coat of Bernadette

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Somebody is workin' it! Bernadette knows exactly how to get a cookie to come her way using those soulful eyes and pleading look. I met Bernadette and her parents in San Diego when I lived there a couple years back and learned that she got to go to the doggy beach by her house everyday. The weather on the coast of California is absolutely perfect for furry dogs like Bernadette as it hardly ever gets to be the scorching summer heat most of us experience.  What a lucky, lucky dog...I hope you are still joyfully playing on the sands of the beach you love, Bernadette!

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

A Witness to Hope

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I've been fortunate over the years of being a pet portrait artist to help just a few organizations bring awareness to dogs in need. The Coalition to Unchain Dogs, which started in Durham, NC, is a national non profit group that is dedicated to educating dog owners of the dangers of chaining their dogs outside. Through committed and compassionate volunteers, they raise funds to build fences to free these dogs from their heavy chains. This painting is titled "A Witness to Hope" because their is hope now for these chained dogs to have a new way of life.

  © Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

Yellow Dog, the Mascot

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

I met this handsome Lab one day at the dog park in Santa Barbara, Ca. He walked up to us all happy go lucky and gave me a great smile for the camera.  I wanted to paint his portrait for many reasons, but mainly because I knew he was mascot material for my new business. He was straw color, a dog and he even seemed artsy; he was "Straw Dog Art"!  "Yellow Dog", as I call him, now appears on my website, business cards and magnets. :)

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

My Inspiration for a New Career

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.

When I moved to California in 2007, I planned on starting a dog walking service but the long hours and working every Holiday continued to loom in my mind as an experience I didn't want. I have always loved animals and wanted to do something that included them. So high on a cliff I visited daily in Santa Barbara, I would contemplate what to do for a living that I would love.  I had been told that Santa Barbara had more artists per capita than any other city in the country. And though I had dabbled in art on and off since childhood, I'd never considered it as a means for income. I could draw and had taught myself to paint, but make a living at it? Scary! But I couldn't resist the calling that was coming from somewhere deep within. So I painted my first dog portrait just to see what would happen. Rose, my gorgeous best friend and Rottweiler, would be my first attempt.  When I completed her portrait, Straw Dog Art was born.  This is her portrait; the one that started it all.

© Kellie Straw, all rights reserved.