Products I love: Pet Pieces

I know. I’m biased. But I sure do think Lucas is one handsome guy.

So when Emmie, the artist behind Pet Pieces, contacted me about doing a portrait of him, I was thrilled! Little did I know just how incredible the finished portrait would be!

And it truly is incredible.

As soon as it arrived, it took the prime spot in my office so that I can look at it all day long. I just love it! We’ve had people from John’s lab over since then, and everyone’s marveled at how detailed the portrait is, all done with itty bitty scraps of paper! This pic doesn’t do it justice (especially against the hideous gold walls that came with the house) but it’ll give you a sense of just how remarkable this portrait is.

 

Here’s what Emmie has to say about her inspiration and her process:

I started making collages when I was about ten years old. I was always a weird and creative kid. I really don’t know what gave me the idea for my first piece, a portrait of Santa Claus, but it has been my mother’s most prized possession ever since. I went on to do more collages, including one of my first dog, Pepper. I loved bringing together two of my passions–dogs and art. Since then it has been a joy for me to create collages of other people’s pets, and to see the joy that my collages bring to their owners.

Each portrait begins with a stack of magazines and a photo of my ‘subject.’ After sketching my subject onto canvas (or matte board, if it is to be framed), I begin the tedious process of clipping magazines. I not only search for the perfect tones and colors, but I also love to find random little images and words that make each portrait uniquely its own. These tiny hidden elements–from little dinosaurs to stacks of cookies–give the portrait added interest, as something new can be discovered each time the viewer studies it. After collecting the hundreds of small pieces and sorting them by color, I arrange and glue them onto my sketch from eyelashes to ears until I am satisfied that I have captured the subject’s likeness and personality.

I can say, without a doubt, she successfully captured Lucas’ likeness and personality! I mean, there’s a dinosaur on his nose! This is seriously fabulous!

I think this would make the perfect gift for a pet lover (she does cats, too). It’s unique – you won’t find anything like it anywhere – and she truly does capture the essence of the animal. I’m adding portraits of Emmett, Cooper, and Newt to my Christmas list (are you reading this, Santa?) so that I can round out the set!

Head on over to the Pet Pieces Facebook page to check out some of Emmie’s other works. You’ll be amazed! Scraps of paper!

Have you had a portrait done or taken of your pet? 

Disclaimer: Emmie very generously offered this portrait of Lucas to me for free, but I would never write a positive review of something just because I got it for free. I mean, look at that portrait! It’s gorgeous! How could I not recommend her work?!?!