Our cover artist, Laurien Dowdy, became a “serious” painter in her 30s after she’d had kids and gone back to art school. Commissioned pet portraits comprise many of her works.
But, she’s always loved animals and hasn’t eaten beef or pork in 26 years. She paints them because she says, “There is so much emotion in their eyes!” To draw attention to their mission, she began painting some of the rescues from animal sanctuaries.
“Because they’re living out their lives as part of a loving home, I think [rescues] have the happiest expressions!”
Catch the glint in the eye of the pig, and you’ll know exactly what she means.
You can find Laurien’s work at Rust and Feathers (RustAndFeathers.com) on Route 15, north of Leesburg in Lucketts. She will be among the featured local artists at Loudoun Cares’ charity art auction Sept. 13 in the Village of Leesburg (LoudounCares.org)