Pets Of Perfection

"When they come in, they'll have a photo, and when they leave, they'll have a painting of their pet," painter Amy Eichler promises.

Eichler will be leading a Pet Portraits workshop Sunday at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Beginning to advanced level painters will bring in a photo of their own pets or any animals they want to paint, she says. She will teach them how to paint an up-close portrait in a square format. The participants will then take home their 12-by-12 canvases at the end of the four-hour workshop. The workshop is open to 15 people, and as of this story, there were five spots available, she notes.

Eichler says she will encourage participants to get the drawing and spacing of the portrait correct, and they can paint it realistically or have more fun with colors to make it an impressionist painting.

"With pets, you can get a little crazier. The pets aren't necessarily concerned if you made them look pretty or made them look old," she says.

Eichler, 31, typically paints portraits of people, and she interchanges between oil and acrylic paint. She says she comes from an artistic family and was trained in oil painting. About seven years ago, she picked up acrylic when a friend asked Eichler to paint a picture of her cat. Her friend bought acrylic because oils were too expensive. Eichler says she approaches acrylic painting the same as oils, noting that acrylic just dries a lot faster. She believes that makes her paintings unique because she blends the techniques of the two styles.

-- Ashley Batchelor

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