NEW YORK — An artist has found his passion in sketching portraits of pets and animals. From cats and dogs to farm animals and bulls, Lenovitz captures the essence of his subjects with his art.
Artist Ben Lenovitz makes his living at Fishs Eddy in the Flatiron District.
A 10-year-old pup named Teddy is the subject of Lenovitz’s latest masterpiece.
He creates whimsical pet portraits in the corner of the store, and while he adores animals, he has never had a pet.
“I’m actually allergic to animals except for snakes and retiles,” he said.
This all started 7 years ago in Japan. As Lenovitz was painting iconic New York City buildings, a woman asked him to paint her cat.
“I’ve never painted a cat, never thought about cats but she was so positive, I was like there is something here,” Lenovitz said.
Throughout his career, Lenovitz estimates that he has painted around 10,000 animals. Among the memorable pieces are a peculiar painting of a crab and a large-scale portrait of a bull. His portfolio also includes charming depictions of farm animals and even toy dog robots.
Lenovitz offers his portraits for $300 unframed, and he typically completes a piece in just 30 minutes. Preferring to work from photographs rather than live sittings, he adapts his process to the dynamic nature of his animal subjects who are always on the move.
Lenovitz said he is often times so focused while painting that something extraordinary happens with pet owners.
“It opens them up to talk about raising a dog with a loved one… or grief or addiction,” he said.
You check out Lenovitz’s work and find his website through his Instagram page.
