Bored Panda has reached out to Anneli Kirby to find out more about the artist and her unique work. Kirby told us: “I live in Richmond, VA with my husband, daughter, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. I am a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, and I have been a graphic designer for over 27 years. For the last 10 years, I have been the graphic designer on staff with Donate Life America - which has been rewarding and filled with amazing stories of how organ, eye, and tissue donation saves lives! Finding a new hobby that has turned into a small business has been exciting - and a little overwhelming!”

Asked about where the initial idea about creating felted dog portraits came from, the artist told us: “I really wanted felt sculptures of my dogs after seeing this style of art online. I tried making the little handheld sculptures that are popular with most felt artists, but I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Do I display them on a shelf or make them into an ornament? What I personally wanted was something fun to add to my gallery wall. It seemed more substantial and it was how I like to display art in my home. There are many artists who make photo-realistic portraits, but mine are more of a caricature. I try to capture the dog’s personality in a fun style and I hope my customers appreciate their uniqueness.”

Then, we asked where the artist takes her inspiration from, and Anneli answered: “The love we have for our pets. I really wanted to memorialize my fur babies and when I made some for myself, my friends and family started asking me to make portraits for them and it all took off. These have been a way to honor and celebrate your pet. It is especially meaningful for me when I am able to make a portrait of a beloved pet who has crossed the rainbow bridge. I am hopeful my art can bring some comfort.

Asked about the materials she uses for her pieces, Anneli shortly explained: “The main material I use is wool roving on a colored felt background with hand-painted eyes.”

The dog portraits created by Anneli look extremely complex and detailed. We were curious about how long the process of creating them takes. The artist told us: “It varies by portrait. Some portraits and breeds are a little complicated and have more details than others. On average I would say about 5 hours, not including hand-painting the eyes or shopping for materials. Having high-quality reference photos is very important. When I have images provided that are from the wrong angle or do not show everything I need, it makes the portrait take longer.”

Lastly, we wanted to know if Kirby accepts orders, and if so, how future clients can reach out to her to get a custom-made portrait of their dogs. She said: “I accept a limited amount of orders each week through my website. Custom art takes time and I want to keep my focus on quality over quantity. I know there is a lot of frustration that it often appears Sold Out, but I promise I do add orders, they just go very quickly. A lot of people do not understand why I do not just keep the orders open and maintain a waiting list, but at this point, the wait time would be over 10 years. For my process, I just need to take only what I feel like I can get finished within 7-10 days. I never want to feel rushed or overwhelmed when working on these. Currently, I am only offering orders in the US, and hope to expand in the future.” Everybody interested in getting one of these amazing art pieces can visit Anneli’s website and find out all the necessary details about custom orders.