This love led people to domesticate animals into pets. And as of 2024, 66% of U.S. households have at least one pet, which suggests that pets are very common nowadays. Their popularity didn’t happen for no reason. Pets are beneficial to humans. They not only serve as companions people form emotional attachments with, but they can also improve the physical and mental health of their owners. Not to mention, pets can help children develop a positive self-image, make them more responsible and sensible, and even help them build better relationships in the long run. In fact, animals appear in art so frequently that art experts have distinguished certain meanings that each animal represents. For instance, dogs are believed to portray loyalty and devotion, as well as nobility or masculinity. On the other hand, cats portray seduction, sensuality, and, sometimes, even female promiscuity. Basically, the majority of animals, even, for example, butterflies or donkeys, that appear in art can be prescribed some kind of meaning. One of the artists whose art is fueled by various pets is a British realist with a modernist vision, Alison Friend. She’s the first female stonemason of the City of Nottingham, an accomplished children’s illustrator of over 20 published books, and a painter. Today, we’re focusing on her paintings of cute and funny animals, which are beloved by people all around the internet. Her dad was also a big animal lover, and he used to paint birds and horses, which, naturally, inspired the woman: “I used to sit and watch him paint when I was tiny. I wanted to be him, really, so I’d copy animals out of these amazing books.” As we can see, Alison was successful in realizing her childhood dream, and now, she’s a famous painter that people on the internet go crazy for. Currently, she has over 800k followers on Instagram, where she shares her creations. But this social media site isn’t the only place where they can be found – there’s also her website, where people can not only look at the drawings but purchase prints of them as well. And well, let’s admit, these paintings of dogs (as well as other creatures) are very lovely and amusing. Who would’ve thought that we needed a painting of a cat eating Cheetos or a dog enjoying a cup of coffee in our lives? Well, Alison did, and she delivered them perfectly. Which of these paintings did you like the best? Share with us in the comments. And don’t forget to give it an upvote! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
