During childhood, my parents nurtured and encouraged the arts in our household. My maternal grandmother, an artist and fashion designer, gave me my first set of oil paints.

I understand and respect the special relationships people have with their pets. Although I am an experienced landscape artist, memorializing my own beloved dog in an oil painting inspired me to paint pets. Each time I paint a pet portrait, I try to capture the feeling, emotion, spirit, and personality that a pet is conveying.

I love using traditional oil paints as my medium for the same reasons that the old masters did; longevity of the painting, vivid colors, color layering and transparency, and my own special painting techniques which I have developed over time.

-Carol Bohan is a social worker and lives on Long Island.