Pet Portraits

I have a deep passion for animals (especially frogs) and puns.



Hi! My name is Sarah Amistadi. I'm a watercolor and acrylic painter from Duluth, Minnesota. I work at a humane society as the resident cat ex-purr-t. When I am not working or painting, I like to splash in the majestic waters of Lake Superior to look for fun shaped/colored stones and hunt for sea-glass hidden along the shores. A few years back I came up with the name "Artmistadi" because I really enjoy a good play on words/pun and thought it was quite clever.

 

In sixth grade we had to write a "What I want to be when I grow up" paper; I wrote that I wanted to be an artist and rescue animals. Fast forward ten years when I found myself working at a local humane society, spending my days helping homeless cats and dogs feel loved until they found their next loving home. 
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I have always had a strong interest in art and took as many art classes as I could in the pursuit of my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, which I completed in 2013. Shortly after starting at the humane society, I met the most amazing soul who believed in my talents as an artist and asked if I would consider donating a pet portrait to a charitable auction at the organization's biggest fundraiser. I had never painted a pet portrait before, so I told her I would think about it. A few months later, my friend and colleague passed away suddenly; it was in that moment I knew I needed to paint the portrait she had asked for. She helped me discover my talent and has been my muse for every pet portrait I have painted since.

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I painted my first pet portrait in 2014 and have completed around 60 paintings in the past eight years. Most of my watercolor and acrylic portraits have featured cats and dogs, but I have also painted one horse and a bobcat as commissions (and several frog paintings for my own personal enjoyment). I love the challenge of painting new animals; no pet is too big or small to be captured in a one-of-a-kind pet portrait.