PET LOVE Petcasso, Luis Ramos B Y DE B R A R O THB E R G
Want unconditional love a friend forever who cuddles, plays, and makes you feel better after a hard day? Get a pet.
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c i e n c e a g re e s t h e j o y a n d laughter received from a pet releases soothing endorphins, lowers blood pressure, and warms our hearts.They become a precious child to be spoiled and coddled, kept warm, well dressed and fed, exercised and groomed. What more can we do for our beloved Angels? The answer is a Pet Portrait. Researching Pet Portrait Artists, I want to introduce you to 2 established New York Painters, one with a whimsical style, the other a hyper realist. What pet people have in common is usually a good nature and a sense of humor and passion so do these artists who just adore what they do. Artist Luis Ramos is known as Petcasso,
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a graduate of Parsons School of Design,combines his love of old master art, his Spanish heritage and life-long devotion to creating custom pet portraits. Working in oil on canvas, each custom portrait is a delightful exercise in capturing every animal’s soulful whimsy. Arriving on the scene in 2000, Luis Ramos has worked to capture and intrigue the pet-loving community with his whimsical, beautiful, sometimes humorous oil paintings. Sharing the streets of his native NYC with dogs, cats, squirrels and the occasional celebrity, Petcasso gathers much of his inspiration from daily NYC streetlife, and relies on friends, family, and cultures from around the world to make his work stand out from the rest. Painting for 15 years Artist Dana Hawk knew immediately she loved painting pets. “Getting the feel for a subject’s personality adds depth to any portrait and dogs keep
their personalities right out front, so it’s a gratifying experience and usually pretty humorous.” Although Dana’s paintings center around dogs and pets, her true rewards are from their people. “Nothing warms my heart than a joyfully tearful email from a client who has just received their painting. A large portion of my commissions are from husbands surprising their wives, which adds another layer of fun and enjoyment!” Her process begins with a 30-60 minute photo shoot, usually done in the pet’s home, which also serves to give Dana a sense of the style and color palette that a client’s prefers. From these images, a few will stand out as being representative of the pet’s personality and will be used as reference for the painting. petcaso.com | petcsasso@gmail.com