Custom Dog Portraits,John D. Kreger-Artist

My name is John Kreger.  I've been drawing or painting my whole life.  My training probably comes from the discipline of my Architectural background which I practiced for almost 20 years.  For the past 25 years I've been creating highly detailed custom animal portraits in graphite. 

Our dogs, cats and horses are important to us.  They are members of our extended family.  We nurture and train them and, in turn, they adore us and perform the tasks we request of them.  In this relationship we learn the personality and idiosyncrasies of our pet, and view them with great affection.  It is this affection that leads us to want a portrait of them.

In all of my work I strive to capture the individuality of the subject.  Even the casual viewer realizes they are not looking at a generic, composite animal, but the individual creature possessing a unique personality.  This vivid impression of the subject's uniqueness is what makes the portrait a family heirloom. 

In my portraits the eyes, in particular, are startling.  The eyes are the key.  They reflect the intelligence and spirit of each subject.  There is an interaction between you, the viewer, and the portrait. 

One client commissioned a portrait of his family's Schnauzer as a Christmas present for his wife.  A few days after he phoned to recount his Christmas morning.  "Last year I gave my wife a Rolex watch.  She looked at it and cooly thanked me.  When she opened the present and saw Harry's portrait, she began to cry.  She told me it was the best gift I'd ever given her."