Chua opens her inaugural solo exhibit with dog portraits that portray each pet’s depth and personality.
(SPOT.ph) TRex the Yorkie mix looks like it’s waiting for something. Quiet and pensive, its eyes are trained singularly on you. Scout has its ears perked up at full attention, waiting for a treat or a command. And Milo looks off to the side, with a hint of concern behind its eyes. Meanwhile, Tiger the Asong Gubat looks pleased, with its ears down and eyes almost closed in contentment. You can almost imagine its tail wagging just beyond the frame.
Left to Right: TRex the Yorkie, Scout, Milo, and Tiger the Asong Gubat as painted by Katrina Chua. Photo from Website/ Kat Chua
This is the art of pet portrait artist Kat Chua, and through her oil paintings, she captures the vibrant personalities of the pets she has met over the past year.
Chua shares that her practice is mostly influenced by her childhood memories. When she was younger, she and her sister would draw on sheets of paper and coloring books. Eventually, she moved on to working with other media, such as acrylics, then watercolor, and finally gouache. “I do remember one of my first paintings. I was 10 years old and I painted this stork with a top hat that I just copied from a fairytale book that I had,” she reminisces.
Coming from a family of doctors, pursuing art didn’t seem like a feasible career choice at first. But when she was 30 and contemplating her next move, she was reminded of how art had always been there to lift her spirits, especially when she'd feel stressed or down. So when she finally quit her corporate job and decided on pursuing something she wanted to do, she returned to a hobby she loved and honed her skills so she could do it full-time.
She began by watching YouTube video tutorials on the fundamentals of oil painting, aiming to achieve a premium look with top-quality artist-grade oil paints and brushes. She was also particularly drawn to the amount of care and level of detail of the 19th-century classical realist style. After practicing with landscapes and still life, she tried her hand at painting an animal for the first time: a photo of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that particularly caught her eye.
Meet Kat Chua, a pet portrait artist spotlighting the personalities of our furry friends. Photo from Website/ Kat Chua by Boy Cabrido.
She began by watching YouTube video tutorials on the fundamentals of oil painting, aiming to achieve a premium look with top-quality artist-grade oil paints and brushes. She was also particularly drawn to the amount of care and level of detail of the 19th-century classical realist style. After practicing with landscapes and still life, she tried her hand at painting an animal for the first time: a photo of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that particularly caught her eye.