Artists & Their Pets

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

If you are looking for a fun and creative way to introduce artists and art history to young people, then this is the book for you!  Artists & Their Pets, by Susie Hodge with illustrations by Violet Lemay, makes famous artists more relatable by including the animals and pets they loved and cared for throughout their lives.  And even though this book targets young people, as an animal lover and art historian I found it a fun and insightful way to present the human side of great art masters.

That said, what really shines through in this book are the illustrations.  Presented in cartoon form, readers will see masterpieces of art history thoughtfully rendered and artist-animal friendships that are sweet without being saccharine.  They are also quite humorous and prove that animals bring their own special type of joy and laughter into our otherwise dull human existence.

 

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.