Bored Panda reached out to Eliza Reinhardt, the artist behind the intricate recreations that feature her Australian shepherd dog named Finn. Eliza told us that she got laid off back in March 2020, so she was suddenly at home 24/7 with Finn.

“I'm a painter, so I would want to go into my studio and work, but Finn would get SO upset. Therefore, I wanted to come up with a project that he could do with me.” At that time, Eliza’s mom mentioned that she saw a challenge online and thought it would be fun to do with Finn.

“I expected that we would do a few photos and he would get bored, but he is a working breed (Australian shepherd) so he does best when he has a job.”Turns out the photogenic four-legged companion “has 110% taken these photos on as his daily task,” said Eliza.

When asked how her dog is sooo camera savvy, Eliza said that he knows when she is asking him to do things for the photos, as “he feels he is 'working.'" “He is just trying very hard to please and get it right, so he'll do almost anything I ask of him.”

The recent wave of home-made artwork recreations was inspired by the quarantine. People are now having their lives undergo dramatic shifts, and the chances are pre-pandemic life as we knew it before is not coming back. Just like so many of us, the quarantine has made Eliza appreciate the little things.

“I absolutely adore taking long walks with Finn during the day, just to get out and admire the world. It's made me really slow down and just give myself time to 'be.'”

The artist also said that everyone is so used to “being rushed and constantly swamped with activities—'go go go' lifestyle,” that this moment of our lives is somewhat of a breath of fresh air. “It honestly feels like a blessing in disguise to be forced to calm down and take things a little slower,” Eliza told us.

Eliza also said that she’s garnered quite an audience over the past year thanks to her pawsome recreations. “It's just so lovely to receive emails and messages of people saying that they really needed a laugh or a smile and that our work did that.”

“Aside from bringing laughter to people, I am beyond thrilled that I get to find these works and share art with everyone.” 

Eliza said that right now, her main goal is to try and make art more accessible to the general public.

“I went to art school and studied painting, so I have a background in art. I have really been blown away with the reaction of people saying that they see things in the original image because of our recreation, or they noticed something about a work that they didn't see before.”

The enthusiasm for this project has been totally overwhelming to Eliza and she hopes that her work can allow people to feel more comfortable and less intimidated by art.

“I think there is a distance that a lot of people feel when it comes to art and discussing / analyzing it. I hope that having Finn in the works, and using familiar objects—they become more approachable and friendly to people.”

So far, it seems that Eliza and Finn are really making art more accessible for everyone.