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.