Blog

This handsome Jack Russell was a much loved family member. His owner and I chose this position together, as I love the expression as well as details revealed. The sculpture is 14″ long.

I worked to capture the love that this dog not only gave, but felt from his people. The email reply to the piece is one of the most touching received in over a decade of sculpting pets.

Oh Kathryn,
We are absolutely in shock. It is our Sonny, our precious boy. We can not believe how detailed and beautiful the sculpture is. We are absolutely thrilled and pleased in every way. I just wanted to reach out and touch his beautiful little face over and over again because it is almost like having him here again. There are no words to express our deepest appreciation for offering this service to us. Sonny was like our child in many ways. Most do not understand the loss we feel and the sadness every day when we arrive home from work to an empty house with no one there to greet us. It is like the heartbeat and the warmth that once filled our home is gone. It is silenced with no life. I do not know if we will ever be able to move on. I have reached out for relief from books and articles and I have posted on pet loss websites, and even joined a pet loss group. Sonny was not just any dog. He was so many things in our lives. He was our everything. And now we have a reminder of him and as I constantly look over toward his favorite resting place, now I can see him lying quietly. Just waiting and waiting for us to come join him at the Rainbow Bridge.

J. R.
Sunbright TN

This was a special order in memory of a cherished friend named Miss BB. The customer wanted me to be sure and capture her wide open eyes as well as the unusual color. It was a pleasure to create a pet sculpture of this gorgeous, energetic female, and also to share progress pictures with her family of artists.

The precious Corgi named Richmond got his name for a special reason: before being adopted, his owner got lost on the interstate. The city of Richmond was the first familiar sign she saw, and from there, found her way. This handsome dog was named with that positive association to a way home!

Richmond has, not one blue eye and the other brown, but one eye that is half and half! Through my pet sculpture, that unique trait was easily created.

Customer comments:

“The sculpture is absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to give it my daughter! Thank you so much for your attention to every detail, including the tennis ball. It has been a pleasure working with you.”

A.M ~ Burke VA.

Gracie, the precious Beagle, was ordered by a mom for her son’s 16th birthday gift.

What I noticed about this sweet female is that in each picture shared, she was with a family member – obviously adored and very much a part of this family’s life. It was a true pleasure to create Gracie’s sculpture, and to show her name on the red bone ID tag.

These details make the experience fun and also unique.

Here’s what the owner had to say:

Hi Kathryn,

Just wanted to let you know the sculpture arrived today. It is beautiful! The only thing I keep saying is “It’s so Gracie”. I can’t get over how you captured her personality. The stance she is in is exactly the way she sits most of the time! Even from the back it looks just like a miniature her! My son is going to love it. I can’t wait for his birthday. I have to hide her in a closet for a while! You have my permission to use it as an advertisement if you want. I’ll have to let you know my son’s reaction when he opens it.

Thanks so much,
Gina

Ordered as a bust, Robbie’s sculpture is in honor of a very special horse.

He shipped to the UK ~ one sister’s gift to another.

Lexie is a beautiful mixed breed, recently created for a 60th birthday gift. She is my first order of the new year. Usually I choose a wood base color other than black for a black pet, but Lexie’s white markings made the black base work well.

What I worked to capture in this piece is the soft, sweet expression. I hope she makes the birthday a special one!

This beautiful black cat with white markings traveled to the UK. Usually for a (mostly) black pet, I use a tan colored base, but for this kitty, I wanted something
other than an opaque finish, and used a rich walnut stain.

I enjoyed capturing this relaxing cat with a stretched out pose.

This is Merlin, ordered for the customer’s Grandmother as a special gift.

This mix is part Dachshund, and judging from the markings, I think part Basset hound. I had a wonderful time capturing Merlin’s sweet expression. Again, the brass name plaque gives a beautiful finish to the pet sculpture.

More Merlin:

Beautiful Kaya has the most gentle expression. Her owner ordered her pet sculpture to sit on top of her urn, which has specific dimensions, smaller than my standard size. Of importance in this order was the one ear up. What a sweet face this mixed breed has.

Peanut, also known as Peanut Butter is mixed breed. Of special importance to his owner was to show the one ear up…these wonderful, individual details are what make my work such fun!