A painting made for you, of the pet you love
I paint original oil portraits by hand, on archival materials, from the photographs you already have. For an animal someone loves, and a wall they’ll walk past every day.
Commissions start at $300.
Not sure where to start?
Send me the photo you’ve got and ask me anything.
The goofballs, the sweethearts, and the ones who run the house
Maude
Oil on panel
Every one of them had a personality long before I picked up a brush. My job is to find it in your photographs and get it onto the wall.
The Boys
Oil on panel
A Lab Named Albert
Oil on panel
Kat
Oil on panel
Thank you so much for the Buddy painting. It really captures his gentle soul. It’s David’s birthday next weekend. Thank you so much for capturing the memory. He will love it.
Buddy
Hi Jeff, looks great! The portrait brings tears to my eyes! I miss him so much! This is a perfect picture of him! You captured ‘Stache completely!
Stache
My wife asked me to share with you that the Snickers portrait makes her smile every single day.
Snickers
I’m Jeffrey Smith, a Minneapolis-based artist. I studied and taught painting at The Atelier, and I’ve been taking commissions since 2005.
You’re not on your own with this
I lead the process and make the painting decisions. You see the plan before I paint and the painting before it ships, and you get a say at both.
- Send your photographs. Whatever you have is usually enough. If I need something else, I’ll ask.
- I put together a digital design. The composition, the background, how your pet sits in the frame. I’ll walk you through what I chose and why. You approve it before I pick up a brush.
- I paint. I take commissions in the order they come in, so where yours sits depends on what’s ahead of it. Once it starts, about three weeks, then at least a week of drying.
- You see it finished before it goes anywhere. Then it’s packed and shipped.
Ready when you are
A painting starts with your photograph and keeps going. It’s built around what stays sharp and what softens, what the background does, where your pet sits in the frame. Every one of those is a choice, and the painting is the sum of them. Up close, there’s more colour in it than you’d think.
You’ve got a pet in mind and a photograph ready to go. Pick a size below and I’ll take it from there.
Start your commission
An original oil painting of your pet, painted by hand in my studio. Pick a size and how many pets. Once you’ve checked out, I’ll be in touch to gather your photographs.
Getting it to you
I ship within the US, and shipping is free. Smaller paintings go by USPS, larger ones by UPS.
Oil paint takes its time to dry, and it refuses to be rushed. A portrait sits for at least a week after the last brushstroke before it’s safe to pack.
It arrives ready for your wall. The painting is on a wood panel with a bare maple edge, so there’s no framing step in between.
Questions people ask
Whatever you have is usually enough. Phone photos are fine, and so are older ones. Most of the portraits I’ve painted came from the photographs someone already had. If I need something else, I’ll ask before I start.
Yes. Two pets need 8×10 or larger and three need 11×14 or larger, so everyone has room.
Yes, and that’s often how it goes. If your pets were never photographed together, or the best picture of one is from a different day, I’ll paint them into one space, under one light. Getting them to look like they belong in the same painting is the part you’re hiring me for.
Only if you want to. Every portrait is painted on a wood panel with a bare maple edge, so it’s finished on all sides and can go straight onto your wall. There’s no hanging hardware on the back, but the panels are light, and people put them up with a nail or a couple of adhesive strips. The smaller ones sit just as well on a shelf or a desk.
Each size in the form above shows an example photograph at that scale. If you’re between two, ask me and I’ll tell you what I’d do.
I take commissions in the order they come in, so when yours starts depends on what’s ahead of it. Once it starts, about three weeks to paint, then at least a week of drying before it can ship.
I’m not one for big reveals. You see the painting twice before it ships: once as a digital design, before I start painting, while the composition and the background are still easy to change, and again when it’s finished and still on my easel. That second look is when people might ask for small things like taking off a collar, adding a toy, or changing how the ears fall. It’s really important to me that you like your portrait, so if something isn’t right, tell me and we’ll work it out.
Plenty of them are gifts. If there’s a date attached, ask me before you order and I’ll tell you where the queue stands. If you’d rather not choose the photograph yourself, I can work that out with them once it’s a surprise no longer.
When it’s a pet, yes, dogs and cats. I’ll also paint a person, or a home or a place that means a lot to someone, so if you have one of those in mind, ask.
Always. A lot of the portraits I’ve painted started with a conversation.
Have a question first?
A lot of portraits have started with a conversation, so ask. Whether the photographs will work, what size makes sense, or anything else. Send me what you have and tell me what you’re hoping for, and we’ll talk it through.
"*" indicates required fields
I’d love to
paint yours
Thanks for reading all the way down. If there’s a pet you’ve been picturing on your wall, let’s get started.