Catherine Dalling has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember.

Being a pet portrait artist can be difficult. Catherine works from photographs as her subjects don’t seem to like sitting still for very long, and this has its own problems. She likes to have as many photos as she can of the subject with a general idea of how the owner wants the animal to be posed.

The commission process is a collaboration between both parties. Each animal has its own personality and Catherine likes to learn about her subject to enable her to capture the spirit of the animal in her portrait.

Occasionally Catherine will be asked to do a person. People are usually done from photographs too, as with busy lives it is not always possible for them to spend the time sitting, plus in many cases the painting is for a surprise.