everyday people Rebekah Rogers, Animal Portrait Artist Born in Maryland and raised in Snellville, Rebekah Rogers is one of the lucky few who get to dictate their own work hours. She draws and paints portraits of animals—mostly dogs—for clients both near and far. As an owner of five dogs and caretaker of six cats, she’s an unabashed animal lover who is also a part of the local music scene, playing drums for the all-female band Creepy. Flagpole: How did you get into what you’re doing now? Rebekah Rogers: I’ve always been an artist… when I was a little kid my parents put me in art classes because it was obviously the only thing I wanted to do. I always just drew animals—mostly horses and unicorns… we didn’t have any pets but I was kind of obsessed with animals. So, it was just kind of like this natural thing that happened—you know, like I drew animals for years and years… the next thing you know, somebody’s like “Hey, can you draw a portrait of my dog?”
FP: All on your own dollar and time? RR: I paid for most of it, but I did have someone who found out about what I was doing and donated several hundred dollars to help me out… and I still have six of those cats; one I can’t touch. FP: How long have you been here in Athens? RR: I moved here when I was 20, so… 13 years. FP: Do you think the town has changed much since then? RR: Oh, yeah… rent has just skyrocketed… apartment complexes have been shooting up everywhere. Weird-looking, ugly new buildings in town. I’m not a big fan… And the football season has gotten more intense over the years, too. Gameday
Michael Goethe
FP: At what point in your life was that? RR: I think I was 16 or 17. I had a job at the vet clinic… and this lady would hang her art in our lobby… she would change it out every month, and one month she brought in a pastel drawing of a dog. And I was like, “I can do that.” And I thought maybe I could do it better… so I asked my boss, “If I draw a dog, can we hang it in the lobby?” And he was really not into it: “Uh, I don’t know, this lady’s a professional. I’d have to have a look at it first to make sure it’s okay.” So the challenge was on. So, I drew a portrait of a Basset Hound—and it’s still hanging in there… in Brookwood Animal Hospital in Snellville. So, then after that, some people that would come in would be like “Hey, who drew that? Could you do mine?”
kittens, found homes for about 20 of them, and the leftovers I trapped and had them spayed… more than 10 cats.
FP: Given that you spend a lot of time around animals, how do you feel about spaying and neutering? RR: I think it should be mandatory. I mean, that’s the reason I have all my dogs is because somebody got rid of ‘em… I was involved in rescue for several years, and I was fostering for a little while, and it’s crazy how many dogs are euthanized, how many dogs are abandoned; it’s really sad… With cats, it’s worse. …The house I lived in before, I think four litters of kittens were born around my house within a few months of me moving in… so I started putting out cat food and caught all these
FRI, MAY 1st • 9pm
MON, MAY 4th
WED, MAY 6th • 9pm
FP: Are your clients generally wealthier people? RR: You’d think that… but I actually don’t work for a lot of wealthy people. A lot of what I’m doing is memorial portraits of dogs, and when it comes to somebody’s dog who just passed away, I don’t think that they really think about the money. And I can definitely relate to the people I’m working for… a lot of people cry when I do portraits of their dogs, whether it’s alive or not… I get a lot of hugs from people.
FP: Being a freelance artist, do you have health insurance? RR: I don’t have any insurance. I keep thinking that I’m gonna get ahead of the game and be able to get [it.] And I’ve been thinking that for a long time… luckily, I’m healthy.
THU, APRIL 30th • 9pm
SAT, MAY 2nd • 9pm
FP: How is business for you right now? RR: Right now business is awesome. I’m just like, “How am I getting away with this?” Because I know people that are losing their jobs, and I’m like: “I’m drawing dogs.”
FP: Could you give me the average price for your portraits? RR: They start at $200 and go up to $350… sometimes I’ll do a little portrait for $85, but it’s so small that most people want an 8x10 or a 9x12 or something like that.
WED, APRIL 29th • 8pm
THU, MAY 7th
FRI & SAT, MAY 8th & 9th didn’t used to be a big deal—gameday’s insane now! [But] Athens is a lot the same. A lot of the same people are here… friends that I met when I worked down at Blue Sky Coffee who I see all the time. FP: What do you like to do when you’re not drawing and painting animals? RR: Well, that’s my main thing, and music. I play drums. I play cello, dabble in mandolin… it’s never too late to learn how to play music, though. I taught myself how to play drums within the past year and a half. And now I’m in a band and we played at the 40 Watt the other night.
COMING SOON
FP: Any other bands you’d recommend—besides your own? RR: Hola Halo—they’re really, really cool… and actually, I’m a huge fan of my boyfriend’s band, The Help. Hope for Agoldensummer, Don Chambers, they’re awesome. Jeff Gore
APRIL 29, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM
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