Dodd, Kitty

Growing up just a few blocks from the Detroit Zoo, I spent many of my youthful hours watching, admiring, and drawing animals. Though life’s necessities took me in other directions, many years later I was asked to teach a class at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and I knew then that I had discovered my life’s passion, to paint animals and to teach painting them.

I have experimented, and to continue to experiment, with a variety of media, techniques, and styles, though I work primarily in oils and colored pencils. For the past few years, I have hit an especially productive stride using suede matboard as the base for my colored pencil work, which creates a very unique look.

As an artist I work intuitively, allowing my thoughts and emotions towards a particular subject to tell my brushes and pencils what to do. Animals speak to me with their eyes, through the intricate texture of fur and feathers, and through the beautiful gestures of paw, claw, tail, and wing. I want every painting or drawing that I produce to communicate to others, my love and respect for the subject, be it beast, bird, livestock, or family pet. My art speaks volumes to me; I hope it speaks as eloquently to others.