Artist Paints Portraits of Deceased Pets

By
Kate A
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Erica Eriksdotter is a Sweden-born artist whose painting career began when she was a little girl.  At the age of 10, she sold her first painting, which was of a small simple landscape with a single red balloon floating in the air. Now at the age of 39, she lives in Virginia and paints portraits of deceased pets.

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I had the honor of painting Nala as a surprise birthday gift several years ago. Sadly I just learned that she passed away today. The owner said she was grateful to be looking at the painting of her tonight. I don’t often meet the pets I paint, but I did meet Nala a couple of times prior to painting her (not as part of the commission) and she was such a special animal you couldn’t help but notice her strong presence in her tiny body. ❤️ The bonds we share with our animals are hard to put into words. I have loved and lost myself, and continue to grieve my little Lucas 20 years later. Maybe that’s why I’m beyond grateful when I hear those things from customers, because I know how devastatingly raw that emotion is. May you rest in peace Nala, the Queen. #studioeriksdotter #eriksdotterpetportraits

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“The eyes are the most important part,” Eriksdotter said in an article for The Washington Post. “The eyes are the windows to the soul, basically. So if you do not get the eyes right, you’re screwed.”

The former PR has completed more than 60 pet portraits and about two dozen have been sent to households all over the United States. She needs about one month to complete each artwork, so the waitlist at her studio, Studio Eriksdotter, is six months long. She also paints bridal bouquets and other flowers, but her main focus is pets and she hopes that one day she will have the opportunity to paint a snake.

Scroll down and check out her Instagram gallery below.

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Officially done with #archiespetportrait and the client loves it! ”I can almost reach out and touch him” Swipe to see the difference after adding a bit more orangey hue and reddish highlights. . Because I work closely with my clients there are no surprises in the end. They get photos throughout the process so there’s no need for them to wonder if they won’t like it. Instead, they get to relax and fully enjoy the process of seeing me bring their pets come to life using the same technique as the old masters – one brush stroke at a time. . I seldom have to edit anything but I always ask my clients et me know if anything needs a bit editing, like fur color, eye color etc. In this case it was a desire for a bit more orange, so more orange it was! . . . . #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catsoninsta #catsoninstagram #catsagram #animal #pet #petportrait #animalportrait #catportrait #gift #studioeriksdotter #ericaeriksdotter #painting #art

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