Helping pets show off their good side through her ‘Pawtraits’
Colleen thoroughly enjoys capturing the essence of an animal.
For the last 25 years, Colleen Mulrooney has been producing ‘Pawtraits’ of animals which are, in her words, “artistically rendered snapshots that capture the true spirit or essence of the animal”.
Colleen is a born and bred Joburger, having grown up on a smallholding in the south where she developed her deep love for animals thanks to having her own ponies and learning to ride from the age of 10. She is a lifelong lover of horses, cats, and dogs, so naturally, as someone who also has a love for art, when she earned a degree in graphic design from the Vaal Triangle Technikon (Vaal University of Technology) she took to doing portraits of animals.
“Not long after I graduated, a friend asked me to draw a portrait of her horse,” she said. “I did, and loved it so much that I decided to focus on drawing people’s pets for them.”
That’s why Colleen has been capturing the spirits of animals through her artistry for years. She has coined the term ‘Pawtraits’ to describe her genre, and it’s given birth to ‘Colleen Mulrooney’s PetPawtraits’. Even though she doesn’t exhibit like most other artists, Colleen says her work goes on display in lots of galleries, but only a very special kind.
“The ‘galleries’ that exhibit my works are actually the homes of my clients who curate their own shows using my portraits,” she said proudly. Colleen also feels extremely privileged to be trusted with doing portraits of people’s animals, because it’s something pretty special in her eyes.
“My greatest achievement is undoubtedly that people trust me enough with the opportunity to capture the spirit of their pet,” she said. “This is such an honour, as every time that person looks at that portrait, they will see the animal that holds such a special place in their heart.”
Colleen also has a particular favourite animal that she enjoys drawing, even though it poses a rather tough challenge. “It’s a German Shepherd dog, because they are such exquisite animals with their alert expressions and attentiveness,” Colleen said. “But they take incredibly long to do because of their intricate coats with their multi-coloured fur.”
You can view some of Colleen’s works on her Facebook page, Colleen Mulrooney’s PetPawtraits.
