The Portrait Experience
Thoughtfully curated, unhurried, and entirely personal.
Every portrait session is designed to feel calm, intuitive, and enjoyable—a chance to pause and delebrate the bond you share with you dog or horse. With a blend of artistic vision and decades of animal-care expertise, I shape each session around comfort, connection, and natural expression.
A Thoughtful, Unhurried Process
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From our first conversation to the moment your artwork is installed in your home, you’ll experience a process centered on care, clarity, and ease. I take on only a limited number of commissions each month to ensure every portrait receives the attention it deserves.
What to Expect
The Consultation
We begin with a personal conversation—by phone or in person—to learn about your dog or horse,your vision, and the artwork you imagine for your home. This is where we discuss personality, location, colors, and how you’d like your story to be told.
The Portrait Session
Your session is unhurried and tailored to your animal’s comfort. Dogs are typically photographed in studio where light and background can be shaped with precision. Horses are photographed where your partnership feels most natural — the pasture, stable, or arena within a 40-mile radius of Chugiak, Alaska.
The Selection Appointment
Once your images are ready, we meet for a private design and selection appointment. Together, we choose the portraits that best reflect the spirit of your session and begin shaping how the artwork will look in your home considering size, finishing, and optional framing.
The Artwork Creation
Your chosen portrait is then crafted as a museum-grade Guild Canvas, brush-stroked and finished by artisans. Each piece is created with archival materials and designed to become a lasting heirloom in your home.
A Personal Touch
As both a portrait artist and a veterinarian, I bring an intimate understanding of expression, movement, and comfort to every session. Years spent working with animals have taught me how to read the quiet signals — the softening of the eyes, the shift in posture, the moment when trust settles in. These details shape the heart of each portrait.
My approach is patient and intuitive, allowing your dog or horse to relax into the experience naturally. I photograph with empathy, artistry, and a deep respect for the bond you share. The result is more than an image — it’s a true reflection of your companion’s spirit, created with care and intention.
Why I Choose Canvas
Canvas offers a warmth, depth, and presence that elevate a portrait into fine art. It gives each image a sense of dimension and intention, allowing light and shadow to move gently across the surface in a way that enhances expression and emotion.
The Guild Canvas process is museum-grade and hand-finished, with brush-stroking that adds subtle texture and a timeless, painterly quality. It’s a medium that feels at home in any space — classic, modern, or rustic — and one that beautifully complements the stories I’m entrusted to create.
Canvas is my signature medium because it creates artwork with a sense of longevity and quiet elegance. It’s the approach I return to again and again when I want your portrait to feel both meaningful and enduring.
How Your Artwork Is Created
Every portrait is produced as a Guild Canvas heirloom using museum-grade materials engineered for longevity.
Your artwork is printed on archival fine-art canvas, cured for stability, and mounted to solid wood stretcher bars to prevent warping.
Surface options include smooth or linen-textured canvas.
Custom brushstroke finishing is available and sealed with a protective lacquer for UV resistance and durability.
Each piece is trimmed, inspected, and prepared for installation using industry-standard hardware to ensure a stable, long-lasting display.
A Glimpse Behind the Craft