MEDIA KIT

BIOGRAPHY

Short Biography

Danica Barreau is an internationally recognized pet portrait artist, educator, author, and speaker based in Grove City, Ohio. Through her studio, Pouka Art & Photography, she creates custom painted portraits from photographs that are finished by hand on canvas for clients throughout the United States.

A PPA Master Artist, Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, Master of Animal Imagery, and Certified Professional Photographer, Danica is a six-time Ohio Artist of the Year and is widely recognized for her contributions to the professional photography community as an educator, writer, and volunteer leader. She is the author of two books, a frequent contributor to professional photography publications, and speaks nationally on digital painting, artificial intelligence, and creative business. Her work is rooted in craftsmanship, storytelling, and the relationships people share with the animals they love.

Full Biography

Danica Barreau is an internationally recognized pet portrait artist, educator, author, and speaker whose work combines digital painting with traditional hand embellishment to create heirloom artwork celebrating the relationship between people and their animals. Working from her studio in Grove City, Ohio, she creates custom portraits for clients across the United States through her business, Pouka Art & Photography.

Raised in a family of artists, Danica developed an appreciation for both fine art and skilled craftsmanship from an early age. She explored a variety of traditional media before focusing on graphite, colored pencil, and watercolor. Photography entered her career almost by accident, eventually leading her to digital painting, where she discovered a way to unite the artistic foundations of traditional media with the flexibility of digital tools. Today, each portrait comes full circle, beginning as a digital painting before being finished by hand with acrylic brushwork on canvas.

Although the tools have evolved throughout her career, Danica's work has remained rooted in the same artistic principles of observation, craftsmanship, and storytelling. She holds the Professional Photographers of America degrees of Master Artist, Master Photographer, and Photographic Craftsman, along with the Certified Professional Photographer credential and the Animal Image Makers Master of Animal Imagery degree. She has been named Ohio Artist of the Year six times and is widely respected for both her artistic craftsmanship and her ability to teach complex creative concepts in an approachable way.

Beyond her portrait work, Danica presents nationally on digital painting, artificial intelligence, and creative business, helping photographers and artists embrace emerging technology while maintaining craftsmanship and artistic vision. She has contributed to educational programs, publications, and workshops throughout the industry, and has served as President of Professional Photographers of Ohio. She currently serves as the organization's Secretary.

Danica is the author of two books and a frequent contributor to professional photography publications, writing about digital artistry, technology, and the creative process. Her lifelong passion for English Setters has shaped much of her writing and artwork, drawing on decades of experience as an owner, rescue volunteer, photographer, artist, and author.

Whether creating a custom portrait, presenting at a conference, writing, or mentoring fellow artists, Danica approaches every project with the same goal: to create work that is thoughtful, technically excellent, and deeply personal.