CUSTOM PET PORTRAITS
Artwork honoring the pets who feel like family
Pouka Art & Photography is the studio of Danica Barreau, a professional pet portrait artist based in Grove City, Ohio. Her work is created for people who see their pets as true family and want artwork that reflects that bond.
Whether you’re celebrating a companion who’s still with you or honoring one who’s passed, each portrait is created to feel personal.
You may choose a Signature Portrait, with a simple painted background that keeps the focus on expression, or a Storyscape™, which places your pet within a setting that carries meaning. Both are created to reflect personality and connection.
These portraits aren’t about a single moment. They’re about the relationship you shared.
Serving clients nationwide.
— PET PORTRAIT ARTIST · GROVE CITY, OHIO
Not just a good likeness.
The expression, posture, and small details that feel unmistakably like them.
For many clients, this artwork represents a relationship that developed over time. That becomes even more important when the photos aren't perfect. Phone snapshots or older images are often more than enough. I'm used to pulling together the strongest elements and filling in what's missing in a way that stays true to your pet — not idealized or generic.
Because the work begins digitally, I can collaborate with clients anywhere in the country and refine the portrait carefully before it becomes a physical piece. Once the painting is right, it's printed on canvas and finished by hand with acrylic brushwork and texture, creating artwork with real depth and presence.
— WHAT I CREATE
Two approaches to your portrait.
SIGNATURE PORTRAIT
The focus is entirely
on your pet.
A simple painted background keeps attention on expression and personality — the tilt of a head, the softness around an eye. Created from your photographs and finished as a physical canvas you can live with for a lifetime.
STORYSCAPE
Your pet, placed in
a world of their own.
A Storyscape places your pet within a setting that carries meaning — a landscape, a season, an atmosphere that reflects who they are. Painterly, personal, and unlike any portrait you've seen before.
— HOW IT WORKS
A collaborative process, clearly guided from start to finish.
Step 01
You share your photos
Send your reference images — phone snapshots and older photos are often more than enough. We talk through size, composition, and what matters most about your pet.
Step 02
I build the composition
The work begins digitally. I pull together the strongest elements, refine the likeness, and develop the composition carefully before anything becomes permanent.
Step 03
You approve the proofs
You receive a digital proof before the painting begins. This is your chance to weigh in on expression, composition, and background before I hand paint it digitally.
Step 04
Printed, hand-finished, delivered
The painted portrait is output on archival canvas and finished by hand with acrylic brushwork for real depth and texture. A final photo is shared before it ships to your door.
— SELECTED PORTRAITS
Latest Work
— THE PROCESS
From Photo
to Painting
Watch how photographs becomes a finished, hand-embellished canvas — from initial study through digital painting.
— STILL WONDERING?
The questions people hesitate to ask.
IF MY PET HAS PASSED, WILL SEEING THE ARTWORK EVERY DAY MAKE IT HARDER?
When a pet has shaped your routines, your home, and your sense of comfort, their absence changes how the day feels. Many people wait because they’re protecting themselves from feeling overwhelmed again.
The intention behind this artwork isn’t to reopen grief. It’s to reflect the relationship in a way that feels true.
For most clients, living with the artwork doesn’t make things harder. It becomes a reminder of expression, personality, and the connection they shared. It reflects what that pet meant in their daily life.
IS IT TOO SOON FOR A MEMORIAL PORTRAIT?
Some people reach out while grief is still close; others wait months or longer. What matters is whether the idea feels right to you. The process is collaborative and moves at a pace that feels right to you.
HOW DO I KNOW THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO COMMISSION A PORTRAIT?
There isn't a wrong time. Some people commission while their pet is still part of daily life, wanting to recognize what that relationship means now. Others wait until after a loss, when the impulse to preserve something comes later. What matters is whether the idea feels right to you. If you've been thinking about it, that's usually answer enough.
— THE ARTIST
Over two decades of dogs, paint, and photographs.
Danica Barreau is an internationally award-winning pet photographer, digital artist, and author based in Grove City, Ohio. Through Pouka Art & Photography, she has been creating custom pet portraits since 2006, using digital and traditional methods to produce finished, one-of-a-kind artwork.
A PPA Master Artist and Certified Professional Photographer, Danica brings a strong understanding of light, composition, and expression to every piece. Each portrait combines digital painting with hand-applied acrylic brushwork on canvas, allowing for careful refinement and physical depth in the finished artwork.
Danica shares her life with a collection of dogs and cats and is continually inspired by the relationships people build with the animals they care for. She enjoys connecting with clients and talking about the work, the process, and what makes each portrait meaningful.
Danica Barreau, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP, MAI
PPA Master of Photography · Master Artist · Photographic Craftsman
Certified Professional Photographer · AIM Master of Animal Imagery
Ready to create your portrait?
Every portrait starts with a conversation. There's no pressure, no minimum spend — just a chance to talk about your pet and find out if we're a good fit.