Why Pet Portraits Are So Much More Than Just Cute Keepsakes

For a long time, I saw the pet portraits I created simply as sweet keepsakes. Each one made me smile, and I loved every piece, but when I took a step back and did an inventory of my work, something struck me. My pet portraits were missing the true voice of an artist.

I started to dig deeper into the "why" behind what I was creating. Studying art history had always been a passion of mine, so it felt natural to reconnect with those roots. Reading John-Paul Stonard’s ‘Creation – Art Since the Beginning' opened my eyes even more. It is a beautiful exploration of how creating and documenting life has been a fundamental part of human nature.

And here’s the thing: the earliest art humanity ever made involved animals.

Cave paintings thousands of years old show us that humans were not just recording what they hunted, they were expressing a deep, spiritual connection with the creatures they shared the world with. As Stonard writes, "The first thirty thousand or so years of human image-making were devoted to a single subject: animals."

Fast forward to the Renaissance, and animals continue to appear in art, sometimes in hilariously awkward ways (seriously, Google "bad Renaissance animal paintings" for a good laugh). Yet even then, animals symbolised important ideas: loyalty, liberty, strength, spirit. Throughout history, animals in art have been symbols of companionship, faithfulness, freedom, and memory.

Today, when you choose to commission a pet portrait, you're not just getting a cute picture of your furry friend. You are tapping into a timeless tradition of honouring the role animals play in our lives; emotionally, spiritually, even historically.

Whether you realise it or not, you already have an art collection. It might be framed prints from a homeware store, posters from your travels, or photos you have saved and printed from your phone. These pieces tell a story about who you are. What you choose to hang on your walls says something.

And including a portrait of your pet?
It is more than a keepsake.
It is a statement.

A personal, emotional, and timeless part of the story your home tells about you.