Artist Valerie Leonard Turns Your Dog Into a Da Vinci

Connecticut-based artist Valerie Leonard believes animals are what bring paintings to life. With their animated features and fluffy fur, they fit perfectly into everything from Old Master paintings to contemporary pop art.

So, about four years ago, Leonard – who has owned many pets over the years and currently has a golden retriever named Skinner – began combining photos of her own pets with the works of artists such as Hans Holbein just for fun. "It was natural to me to start making my own animals into the people I thought they might be," Leonard tells PEOPLE Pets. "I thought, 'What if Raphael had painted my dog?' "

What began as a musing turned into a new career for Leonard, a former toy designer-inventor. Now, with her company Pet Portraits by Valerie Leonard, she takes photos of dogs and cats and works tirelessly to meticulously insert them into famous paintings – both old and contemporary.

But it's not all just cut-and-paste: Using her computer skills, Leonard fluffs fur, adds animal-like details to the portraits and even has some fun with the backgrounds themselves. "Some of my works have included 20 or more hidden animals, like frogs or cats, in the background, just to make things fun for the viewer," she says. "I add as much as I possibly can. I spend days, sometimes a whole week with one image because it's just short of perfect. If the background doesn't suit the furry friend, I'll change it."

Leonard has often been commissioned to do digital renderings of people's personal pets in famous portraits, like Grant Wood's iconic "American Gothic" and Andy Warhol-style pop art. (Her therapist's dog was actually the model for the portrait of Henry VIII, above.)

It usually takes around four days for her to create the hybrid portrait-photo on her computer, and her works start at $350. Luckily for dogs and cats, they don't have to come pose for their portraits – all Leonard needs is a good photo and she does the rest. "I just get tickled doing this," she gushes. "It's so much fun for me!"

Tell us, what do you think of pet portraits inspired by classic paintings? Leave your thoughts below!

More home décor on PEOPLE Pets:
From Woof to Warhol! Turn Your Pet's DNA into Modern Art
Get Your Pup a Twin with Realistic Pet Sculptures!

Kate Hogan