How do you immortalize something important to you?
To some, it’s a shrine of photos—snapshots of the special and important person, place, or thing.
For Karyn Blaney, there’s another way—painting. And when it comes to our furry (and sometimes not-so-furry) friends, there might be no better way than to do it yourself.
“It’s a great way to help immortalize your pet,” Blaney said. “Because you are the one sitting down and doing the painting and it has that personal touch to it.”
So when Blaney—who is the owner of Art Social 805, a group that offers pop-up art experiences ranging from painting to crafts and more—got the idea of making painting pets accessible to all, she set out to make Paint Your Pet a reality.
“Years ago I had a mentor that I had talked to about this idea and she was like, ‘Don’t do it because it will be too hard to teach people who want to paint their pets and have never painted before how to paint,'” Blaney said. “Of course, I took that and figured, ‘Well, this something I can make work,’ and so I did.”
Her method: Make the painting process simple.
Blaney has prospective painters send in photos of their pets, usually two to three, that she can use as the basis for a stencil.
“Usually I had to request very specifically that they take the photo outside since the lighting was better,” she said laughing. “It’s very professional looking because those photos also have to be of the pet’s head and shoulders so I can make the stencil look as close as it can be.”
Once Blaney has the stencils ready, the event can commence.
“It usually takes around two to three hours for most people to complete the painting,” she said. “It’s a lot, especially when you are working with a 12-inch-by-12-inch canvas.”
Blaney said that some people do struggle with the painting process even with the stencil because of how overwhelming it can be for someone with relatively little art experience.
“People are usually the most nervous about actually getting that much paint on their paintbrush, but having the stencil gives them the courage and understanding that you don’t have to draw every single hair or detail,” she said. “What matters is the color and where the fur—if there is any on the animal—is flowing.”
They start with the basic dark to light colors, filling in where they know the details the best before expanding out—it’s something every artist experiences, and Blaney is happy to be able to bring that to people who aren’t traditionally artistic.
“It’s all about giving people the confidence to not be afraid to work with large amounts of paint,” she said. “I get it, too, because the amount of work and effort you put in is daunting and knowing that once it’s on the canvas it’s permanent adds to that fear.”
The result, however? Blaney said the reactions to previous Paint Your Pet events have been far beyond what she originally expected.
“We had a moment last week where, at an event, a husband surprised his wife with a painting of their recently passed dog as a gift,” she said. “She was in tears and it was this incredibly touching and sweet moment.”
As one might expect, Blaney said most of the time the pets being painted are your traditional cats and dogs, but because of the success and accessibility of the event she’s seen a few unique pets.
“Over the years, we have painted everything from turtles to snakes to even fish,” she said laughing. “We also had donkeys, horses, cows, and of course cats and dogs.”
Because Art Social 805 is a traveling art studio pop-up group, Blaney has flexibility in where she can throw these Paint Your Pet events. Sometimes it’s wineries across North County, but other times it’s pet hospitals or even coffee shops.
“Whoever in the area that wants to do this event usually reaches out to us and we handle most of the logistics,” Blaney said. “The space doesn’t matter. As long as we have access to some tables and chairs, we can make it work.”
She hopes to continue hosting the events into the future—helping people immortalize their beloved pets and learn a little about their artistic side along the way.
“We just opened up a permanent studio location up in Paso Robles, so really if we want to hold the Paint Your Pet event anytime, we can,” Blaney said. “Our next one is going to be in December because there is no better holiday gift than a painting of your favorite pet.” Δ
Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas is thinking about making a painting of his parents’ dog, Peanut. Reach him at arosas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 9-19, 2023.
