Twenty-five years ago, Kait Matthews decided to become an actress instead of an artist. Stage productions, TV guest spots, and film roles followed. Then, a move from her hometown of Toronto to the big leagues of Los Angeles paid off with a three-year role on a soap opera. It appeared Kait had made the right choice; she had become a working actress. But by definition "working" means waiting. And eventually, Kait began to fill her hours of down time on the set by filling her sketchbook with her own work. And that work provided her a path back to her other love when her journey as an actress began to wind down (for a female in Hollywood that usually means circling thirty). Now, after graduating summa cum laude from The Laguna College of Art and Design, Kait is an artist and feels like she has come full circle. And along the way, she discovered that picking one dream over another sometimes allows you to live both.
As a painter, Kait initially focused on people, not dogs. She was drawn to the emotion of her subjects, or more specifically their eyes. An actress would know all about that, and it shows that oftentimes late-blooming artists often bring an arsenal of expertise to their work that could never have been learned in a studio.
It was the death of her friends' dog named Skye that brought Kait to pet portraits. The painting she created of her friends' beloved Westie brought them so much joy that she realized being an artist means more than a having a new career. It is a gift, one she could share with other dog lovers, and so her company Kool Dog Art was born. In truth, though, going from people to pets was not much of a stretch, because Kait believes that all animals have souls. One of the artist who inspires her work, 19th century French animal painter Rosa Bonheur, felt the same way, and Kait features this quote from Bonheur on her website:
I was only happy in the company of animals. I really got into studying their ways, especially the expression in their eyes. Isn't the eye the mirror of the soul for each and every living creature? Nature didn't give them any other way to express their thoughts, so that's where their feelings and desires get reflected.
Or as Kait likes to put it more succinctly, "Dog are people too." Indeed.
Where Are You?
Somewhere Out There
Sophie
To commission a portrait of your pet, visit Kait Matthews's website KoolDogArt.com. A percentage of all sales go to your choice of Kait's favorite animal rescues. Also, Kait has compiled her favorite dog portraits in her book Kait's Cainines. Click here to get your copy. It's a great gift idea for the dog art lover in your life.
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