It is believed that it took Leonardo Da Vinci more than 15 years to complete the Mona Lisa. He labored over it and finally completed it just a few years before he died in 1519. Like Da Vinci, animal portrait artist John Golden knows a thing or two about getting a masterpiece just right.
Golden has spent his time perfecting his digital folk-art style of painting animals – a warm mix of color, visible brush strokes, and layered images printed on textured archival paper – with a winning outcome (more than 6,000 sales on Etsy!) .
"I tried for about 15 years to develop a style that I felt captured dogs," he tells PEOPLEPets.com, "specifically the personality of the 2 dogs I had at the time."
It was only shortly after the passing of both of those beloved dogs, a Dalmatian and Lab mix, that he finalized the design which he dubs a "whimsical interpretation of dogs."
Much of Golden's inspiration comes from one very special customer: his wife. "She'll ask me for a piece of work for one of our kids' rooms and then I'll come up with my interpretation," he explains.
Golden's 8-inch x 10-inch prints ($18) come in a variety of breeds – including Yorkshire terrier, Schnauzer and Dalmatian. And cats are celebrated in his portraiture as well; check out his Seal Point Siamese Cat and Gray Tabby. Custom prints for your one-of-a-kind pal are just $27.
Browse Golden's Etsy shop and turn the halls of your home into the Louvre in a snap!
See something on Etsy that you'd like us to profile in this weekly column? Send us an email to editors@peoplepets.com or leave a comment below. Read last week's Etsy Fave, here.
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