“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.” –Milan Kundera
My first dog portrait:
Kaeli, oil, 11"x14"
2020
I've been interested in art my whole life, and began the serious study of oil painting in 2020 during COVID. "Paint what you love," I heard many artists say, so I focused on painting animals. I also love trying to capture the light in my paintings. This year (2023), I am expanding into portraits of homes.
If you are interested in a commission of your pet or your house, please go to the commissions page and fill out the form. Or you can DM through my Facebook page sharondomenicoart or instagram @sharondomenicoart.
Thank you so much!
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Artist Background:
I am New Jersey-based artist where I live with my husband, 4 kids & 3 cats. I studied Environmental Science at the University of Virginia, and am also an alumni of SEA Semester in Woods Hole, where I studied Marine Science. I initially started working at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and after that transitioned into computers and worked for many years as a Web Designer.
Although I studied science and worked in computers, I have been interested in art my whole life, and have learned from various artists along the way. My first art lessons as a kid were with Jim Repenning at Repenning Fine Arts.
There are currently many amazing artists that host workshops (both online and in person) and have instructional videos from which I have learned much. Some of my favorite artist videos and online classes include Johanne Mangi (animal portraits), Jennifer Gennari (animal portraits), John MacDonald (landscape and the importance of VALUES), Colley Willison (landscapes) and Adam Clague (still life and portraits). Last year (2022), I was lucky enough to take a 5 day workshop with John MacDonald.
I would also like to thank Eric Rhoads, the owner of Streamline Publishing, who produces a lot of these videos. I've attended the online conferences of Plein Air Live and Realism Live, and the Plein Air podcast is an endless source of inspiration to just keep going and show up everyday at the easel if you want to get better.