I create beautiful and charming pet portraits for a living, and through social media, I have found other artists across this great country who do the same. On a quarterly basis, I have decided to feature other pet portrait artists - colleagues of mine - whose work I adore.
Are these artists my competition? Maybe… but I believe in community, not competition. And the artists I have chosen to feature are incredible and deserve a shout out. So, here is an artist spotlight with an artist in New York, whose work I have been admiring for years…
I am happy to introduce Jim DeLucia….
Artist, Jim DeLucia
Bio Jim is a BFA graduate of the State University of New York at Brockport. He works from his home studio in Rochester, NY. His work has been exhibited at numerous local galleries and shows including the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, Rochester Contemporary, the Memorial Art Gallery and AXOM Gallery.
Statement Much of my current work begins as photo-realistic paintings that slowly become abstracted as I transition to memory. I look for a sense of being in the moment and brushing it away. There is something attractive about losing the initial subject and painting from feeling and gut to recompose the piece. The melding of subject and foreground creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and tension, which is balanced by a soft muted palette. My working process is very intuitive – colors and images wash over each other until they find a place of rest.
Where do you live? I live in upstate New York in a suburb of the city of Rochester. Technically it is western NY, depends on who you ask.
“Rufus”, Oil on canvas.
What is your background in art? Education, self taught? I have always made art. I graduated high school with a concentration in art, I believe I received AP credit. I went on to earn my BFA from the State University of NY at Brockport. (SUNY Brockport)
How long have you been a working artist? How long painting pets? I have considered myself a working artist since the day I graduated college. I'm not sure what I was really doing at the time, I just know I sold some work here and there and was having shows and exhibitions. I became more serious about a career in 2013. That is also the year I began painting pets. It all went hand in hand.
Briefly explain your painting process. My process is pretty random, I think I am still trying to iron it out. When I paint a pet I'm usually looking for a great pose, almost heroic. I work from photos emailed from clients, usually about 10. I choose one and wait to get the green light to start. The pets eyes are a huge factor in the work. They almost always become the focal point and really bring out the personality. I try to incorporate favorite toys or unusual details about where they live. Some of it is subtle and some mesh right into the animal. I used to draw the pet first and transfer it to the canvas but now I just start painting, outlining first and then blocking in some large areas. I never really know what the space surrounding the subject will be until about half way through the painting. This creates a problem with the composition sometimes because of the lack of planning. It does usually work out in the end though. I work with oil paint always, mostly on canvas. Every now and then I will paint on paper. Colored pencils and regular pencil always appear also.
How and why did you start creating pet portraits? I have two rescues, Gino and Chapel. I think it was lack of subject matter at the time or my obsession with Gino, our first dog. I just began to paint him. He is quite the character and a very tough dog to handle. I wanted to show that. We adopted the complete opposite in Chapel a year later and she quickly became a subject.
I shared a studio with some really great friends and they would bring their dogs in while we all worked. I would take some photos and work from my phone. The pets had so much personality that I wanted to paint them. Visitors to the space would come in and ask about painting their dogs and painting portraits began to pick up.
Do you have any artistic influences? If so, who are they? I'm influenced by a lot or artists. It wasn't until Instagram that I really began to see how many artists paint pets though. I have always been influenced by Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Jenny Saville, Jennifer Bartlett, Jean Michael Basquiat, Banksy, Anselm Keifer, Joan Mitchell and I can go on. There are a lot of current painters that I love too. If we are talking pets, anyone I follow on IG. I am amazed by the detail of Syd Hardin and her colors. Jennifer Gennari seems to paint really fast alla prima paintings which blow me away. James Patterson, James Ruby and that is just the short list.
What do you find most rewarding about painting pets? I really love the reaction from the client. To be able to create something for someone is just a really great feeling. It’s tough sometimes but always worth it in the end.
How do you find your pet portrait business? Through my website or on Instagram.
Do you paint any other subject matter besides pets? If so, what? Yes I do. I paint landscapes and add shapes and line work over the top of them. Most of them have to do with water whether it's waves from the ocean or lily pads in a pond. I also paint other random things like my daughters socks. I also have some drawings of my daughter that I would love to turn into a children's book. I've been saying that for awhile no though.
