USA Weekend Magazine

Issue Date: June 29, 2003

Pup Art

Your schnauzer or tabby may one day grace the Louvre, if zany painter Mark Durham gets any bigger.

by Michele Hatty

For centuries, painters have immortalized loved ones on canvas. With each brushstroke he makes in his Charlotte, N.C., studio, painter Mark Durham carries on that tradition. It just happens that his subjects have fur, claws and, often, faces only an owner could love.

With a style that's a cross between Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali and Peter Max, Durham, 37, makes his living rendering dogs, cats -- and the occasional family chicken -- in colorful, whimsical, custom-painted, high-end portraits. This pop artist favors working from photographs vs. in-studio sittings, and he has gained clients nationwide largely through word of mouth since he began in 2000. He appears at art shows along the East Coast and uses the Web (markdurhamstudio.com) to reach potential customers. (On average, his paintings in acrylic or oil range from 16 by 20 inches to 42 by 60 inches. They can take a month to create, and they sell for $450 to $2,000.)

Durham isn't alone. With pets holding court as favored members of the family, pup art has become big business. Dozens of artists advertise their talents on the Internet. Pet parodies in the style of famous artists depict everything from a cut-up geometric Picasso beagle to a tabby frozen in Edvard Munch's "Scream". Getting your pooch's picture with Santa has been popular for years at vets' offices and animal shelters, and photography studios report a brisk business in non-human shoots. Given this flurry of furry activity, museum-quality custom paintings were inevitable.

The appeal of a pet portrait is obvious to Cameron Howell, 31, of Charlottesville, Va., who had his fianc?e's beloved mutt, Bailey, immortalized by Durham late last year: "For us, our affection for Bailey is so great. [The portrait] is a way to make that concrete. A lot of dog lovers have a love for their animals that's extreme. Mark's portraits are fun, and there's a kind of zaniness about them. It's like the joy you can see in a dog's eyes when he's running around or when he sees his owner walk in the door." The portrait now hangs in the living room, above the sofa upon which Bailey likes to lounge.

Durham admits he's slightly amazed at how enamored some people are with their pets. "I think you can definitely get too attached to an animal," he says. "But I've found that pet owners are just generally nice people. Most people who commission portraits consider their pet part of the family, and the paintings underscore that relationship."

Case in point: His own cats inspired him to begin pet portraiture. "A few years ago, I did a portrait of one of my cats, Spooner Lee, and everybody that saw it liked it," he says. "One thing led to another."

Although most painters of pets offer realistic renderings of their subjects, Durham prefers a more ebullient style. "I don't do ultra-realistic portraits, because I like them to be more than just a photograph or realistic interpretation," he says. "I think a good piece of art should be different and awaken the senses of the viewer."

Instead, he allows the personality of each of his subjects to inspire his portraits. Before he begins a commission, he asks owners to describe their pet's demeanor, favorite squeaky toys and quirky habits. (And even the "most flattering" color scheme.)

"I try to incorporate [the pet's] personality. There are millions of people that can do a dog painting, but it takes vision to make the character of the animal pop off the page and come out at you. That's what I try to do," Durham says.

Some portrait commissions have bordered on the surreal, such as with some deceased pets, he says: "I have put the ashes of a couple of cats, mixed it in with my acrylic paint and put it in a painting, upon a request. I usually try to accommodate if it's not too crazy."

But outrageous details often result in personal favorites. "I just got through doing a dachshund, and he looked like Winston Churchill, with a big cigar in his mouth and all the wrinkles and the roundness. That one would probably be at the top of the list," he says with a chuckle. "And I've done my other cat, Mr. Kitten, with a crown and a mouse in his mouth -- sort of made him purple. But they're all fun."

In addition to traditional house pets, Durham has been tapped to create likenesses of more unusual pets. "I have done rabbits, parrots. ...I'm going to do a chicken. I've actually met the chicken, Mr. Joy, and it was quite an experience. The little thing got in my lap, and it was just like a cat or dog."

The chicken notwithstanding, the artist's favorite subjects continue to be the many variations of man's best friend. "I like painting big dogs like Labs and Weimaraners, because they usually have funny expressions -- eyes wide open and tongue sticking out -- and big, goofy features. They're fun."

In addition to greater fame than he ever experienced painting ordinary human beings, his art has elevated his own pets to near-celebrity status, he boasts: "Mr. Kitten was recently mentioned on TV. I intend to make them well-known, like [George Rodrigue's] "Blue Dog". Mr. Kitten and Spooner Lee will be household names one day."