Portrait of Georgie features an adorable Scottish Terrier with deep black curly fur, amber eyes, floppy ears, pronounced whiskers and a red tartan scarf. Colour pencil drawing by Patricia Nolan. Thank you to Katie Smith for permission to display a photo of this commissioned work. Copyright © 2022 Catherine Smith
Portrait of Lana features a cherished mixed breed dog with black and white fur highlighted by touches of rust, tall attentive ears, a long snout and amber eyes. Mixed media drawing by Patricia Nolan using colour pencil and pan pastel for the background. Thank you to Katie Smith for permission to display a photo of this commissioned work. Copyright © 2021 Catherine Smith
Charcoal Greyhound elegantly turns its bowed head towards the sunlight, its ears floppy yet still attentive, its amber eyes receptive and expectant. While golden sunlight bathes its body on one side, black shadows reveal the contour of its lean musculature on the other. A blue streak along its long snout highlights the graceful form and character of this regal dog. Many thanks to Paul Croes and Inge Nelis for the photo reference. See their stunning animal portraits at www.paulcroes.be. Mixed media painting using watercolour and liquid charcoal. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
Chameleon on a Branch curls its blue tail as it grips the grey branch tightly, displaying multi-coloured white-spotted skin, with an orange, ridged spine, a magenta belly, and a purple head. Mixed media painting using watercolour, colour pencil, wax crayon and gouache. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
Siamese Fighting Fish is decked out in a kaleidoscope of colours, from yellow, red and orange to violet, blue and green. The spines in its fins and tail are spread wide, fanning out like silk, and white spots cover its body. Mixed media painting using watercolour and gouache. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
Red-headed Rooster struts his stuff against a dark green background. He is resplendent in a bright red comb and multi-coloured feathers of yellow ochre, blue, green, teal, orange, black and a rich brown. Digital painting. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
Fish, Interrupted is a colourful aquarium scene of brightly hued peach, pink and purple coral, green aquatic plants and sea grass. It is the home of three bright orange goldfish who seem caught off guard by a visitor. One fish is surprised, one is sceptical, and the third is indifferent. Watercolour painting. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
Hairy Pig, her skin a pale coral with blonde hair, her snout a bubble gum pink, has floppy ears shading her eyes. She turns her attention to something new, lips pursed in anticipation. Digital pencil drawing. Copyright © 2022 Patricia Nolan
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Animals of all kinds can become pets, and pets become our family. They respond to our emotions, share our lives and reveal the often surprising possibilities of close companionship between our different species.
In animal portraiture, I am most interested in capturing the emotion and personality of our animal friends, as well as their varieties of form, colour and texture