Meet Brianna Leidy: a professional pet portrait artist who brings beloved pets to life on canvas
My name is Brianna Leidy, and I am a professional pet portrait artist based in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. I work almost exclusively with oil paints on canvas. From a young age, I was fascinated by animals and grew up surrounded by a variety of pets. Drawing came naturally to me, and it felt instinctive to capture the things I loved and the creatures that were always nearby.
Though I never planned on selling my work, I received my first commission around the age of 15. At that time, I was primarily drawing with graphite pencils, though I had always admired the beauty of paintings I came across. While continuing to accept commission requests for graphite portraits, I began experimenting with oil paints in my free time. I quickly fell in love with the medium, and before I knew it, I was receiving commissions for custom oil paintings of pets from all over the world.
It’s been just over 10 years since I started creating these works, and I’m deeply grateful to my first client, who helped me realize I could build a career doing what I love. Today, I focus primarily on painting dogs and cats—my greatest passion—but I have also had the pleasure of painting birds, reptiles, horses, and even rats. Each portrait is a deeply personal journey; it’s a true joy to bring to life such cherished members of our families on canvas. ~ @briannaleidyart