Pet Paintings for Pet Lovers
Technically, May is National Pet Month. But if you’re a typical pet parent, you know that every month is Pet Month. May is just when it becomes more socially acceptable to post about your pets on Instagram multiple times per day.
And we’re far from alone.
• Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2017–2018 National Pet Owners Survey.
• Ninety-five percent of pet owners surveyed in a Harris poll think of their dogs and cats as members of the family.
• Forty-five percent of pet owners say they’ve frequently or occasionally bought birthday presents for their pets.
• Thirty-one percent say they frequently or occasionally cook a special meal just for their pets.
All of this is just proof that we’re not crazy for feeling the way we do about our dogs, cats, chickens, horses, parakeets and iguanas. And our pets absolutely deserve this kind of royal treatment. They're non-judgmental, fun to be around, stress-relieving, loving and reliable. Plus they’re so gosh darn beautiful – whether you have a puppy or a tarantula, you know you think your pet is the most amazing thing in the world.
There’s much-circulated research suggesting that just looking at our pets causes our brains to release oxytocin, which makes the human brain feel joy and decreases stress hormones. It’s the same thing a genuine hug does for your brain! (Read the research here: http://www.l...6-story.html)
Look at your pet, then hug your pet, and your oxytocin levels are set for the day! There’s no science behind that one, but any pet-obsessed parent would agree with us.
In the early days of Pinot’s Palette, we came up with a fun way to honor our pets and keep their faces front and center in our homes and offices. We called it Project Pet, and over the years we’ve refined beginner pet portraiture to an art! Project Pet lets anyone – even someone with very little art experience – paint a pet portrait they can actually be proud of.
PROJECT PET: HOW IT WORKS
• Find a class on your local studio's event calendar and pre-register.
• Once you're registered, you'll email a photo of your pet to the studio (instructions for this will be in the class description).
• We work some magic with the photo and transfer it onto an archival-quality 16”x20” canvas.
• The day of the class, professional artists walk you through each step of the portrait — from customizing the right colors to capturing the gleam in your pet's eyes.
It’s a fun way to honor your pet and the joy they bring to your life. Many people also find Project Pet to be a deeply meaningful way to memorialize a furry family member who has crossed the rainbow bridge. And many Pinot’s Palette studios even donate a portion of the profits to help local animal shelters.