Brianna Leidy
Overview
My name is Brianna Leidy, and I am a full-time artist based in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. I am a graduate of Kutztown University, receiving my BFA with a concentration in painting. I specialize in painting pet portraiture with the use of oil paints on canvas.
My fascination with the arts and my love for animals has always been a crucial part of me. Animals continuously appeared in my artwork growing up, so when I received my first commissioned pet portrait, there was no turning back. I have been working as a pet portrait artist for the last six years now. I am incredibly thankful to have this ability, allowing me to bring happiness into the lives of others through it. Capturing the quirks and unique qualities of each pet I get the opportunity to paint is such a pleasure— and seeing the joy it brings my clients is what drives me to do it every day.
Love of Animals
My dogs, Chachi and Lacey, on my wedding day
My childhood had a profound effect on the direction my artwork would take me. As a child, I had an immediate love for all animals. I felt such a strong connection to every animal I met and spent many days out in the nature of Pennsylvania looking for any critter I could get my hands on to examine. To no surprise, my intense love for animals pushed me to persuade my parents to allow me to have quite the array of pets growing up. I grew up alongside dogs, cats, chickens, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, gerbils and ferrets. All of these pets served as little models for me, as I spent hours and hours drawing them, loving every bit of it. Now, as a young adult, I just have my beloved dogs, Chachi and Lacey. I continue to have the same drive to capture the spirits of animals through my artwork, and feel incredibly fortunate to be able to paint all kinds of pets from around the world.
Love of Oils
I was around 13 when I first experimented with oil paints (12 years ago). I was accustomed to drawing, mostly with graphite pencils, and occasionally colored pencils. I felt limited by what these materials could do, and admired any painting I saw to a whole different level. I first tried to paint with acrylic paints. Acrylic paints were incredibly cheap and much less complicated to learn how to use compared to oil paints. It seemed perfect for 13-year-old-me. However, it was not long until I realized I did not enjoy working with acrylics, and I would take the dive into learning how to paint with oils. It was a huge investment of both time and money to learn, but the decision to give them a try at such a young age has brought me to where I am today, for which I am very grateful. There were many reasons I fell in love with oil painting. Oil paints dry much slower than acrylics, which was perfect for me as I like to get in as much detail as I can in my work. Pigments of oil paints have a vibrancy and a feeling of liveliness that I feel just cannot compare to the plastic-quality of acrylics. Oils also allow me to paint in many layers, giving my portraits depth and soul. I still enjoy drawing from time to time, but oil paints will always be my favorite material to work with.
I was recently interviewed by the Canvas Rebel Canvas Magazine. Read my interview here.
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