Portfolios

PORTFOLIOS are organized into several themed series, each with its own page. (click portfolio title to open.) Read about why I paint animals. 

“I really liked the way you caught the intensity of feline play – or strife- they are not far apart! It reminds me of my long gone cats Billy and Faith, who were a bonded pair. They play-fought every day until in extreme old age Billy wasn’t up to it, and they would still posture. It became a ritual for them.”

Holli Jones, cat rescuer, Springport, Indiana


A photograph of the painting Strife on the wall and the rescued cat Coal sitting in front of it under a house plant.
Hound dogs, 2021, a double dog portrait, color and knife painting study, by Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

COLOR KNIFE PAINTINGS

A portfolio of looser and more colorful paintings born from Covid-19 isolation.

Dog looks straight up emphasizing its neck and jowls. Above is an orb which reflects back its face. Strong light illuminates the dog from above, hitting the ears snout and back, and the outline of the orb against a black background.

ROUNGS & REFLECTIONS

primal celestial reflective

Includes links to:

Medical Collar Series

Slow Draw Rounds.

FAMILY PORTRAITS

Paintings honoring interspecies kinships and friendships.

Includes link to:

Selfie Family Portraits

Harley 1, 2018, acrylic paint pens on paper, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis. Portrait drawing of a scruffy bearded chihuahua with tuxedo markings.

DRAWINGS

These quick drawings rarely take more than an hour to complete. Most are executed with felt tip acrylic paint pens.

Includes link to:

Slow Draw Rounds

Gallery cover picture for "Tongues and Limbs 2" showing Mookie and Extended Paw, black and white pet portraits by Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis.

FACES N LIMBS

This portfolio focuses on faces (sometimes with extended tongues) or arms and legs.

Includes links to:

the first Limb Series

Horses

ORIGINAL DOG STUDIES

The first paintings to come out of my studio after several years absence. 

Includes links to:

Cats

Chihuahuas

Archived Original Dog Studies with a link to Max

WHY

I’m a bit introverted and perhaps that’s why I am drawn to animals, nature and art. I can experience them in silence with no awkwardness. They transport a person into the present, relieve stress, and deliver joy.

MODELS  

The first models for this body of work were my own four dogs and two cats. After the last of the six passed on, a seventh, Kitten Caboodle, mysteriously appeared… but that’s another story. Since then the model pool has expanded beyond my yard.

MEANING  

These portraits are tributes to the profound impact that pets play in our daily lives and are memorials to beloved family members that have passed.

Black and white is not my perspective on life; yet I find it loaded with potential as an artistic mode (and I don’t mean just as metaphor.) While exploring the seemingly dualistic nature of life, the nuance of grey inevitably insinuates itself into the picture.

VISUALS  

The simplified pallet of black and white asserts the elegance of the animal form. The intimate views isolate familiar (and sometimes quirky) shapes, while the spaces are energized by character and memory.

TODAY  

My Husband and I are taking a break from large scale pet rearing and so now I paint the pets of others. Perhaps yours