By Madison McNamee
Ten years ago, Lesli DeVito created a unique birthday gift—an original painting of
a friend’s dog. Things went from there, and now DeVito paints a dog a day.
These aren’t traditional, stuffy pet portraits. DeVito, who is based in the area, has an
eccentric style, blending bright colors to exemplify each pooch’s personality.
“I’m more trying to get the painting not to look exactly like the dog, but to kind of come alive, so that you feel like you can sort of see a little bit of your own,” she says.
To achieve that
effect, customers send DeVito photographs of their pets—but also describe the pup’s personality. From there, she creates life on canvas. She often adds personal touches like tennis balls or favorite toys. She was once asked to paint a sleeping bulldog, because the customer said that’s all the dog ever did.
But even when painting a dozing animal, DeVito creates excitement. She says she was drawn to bright colors from her earliest days as an artist, when she worked with simple house paint. Over the last decade, she’s upgraded to acrylic paint, and her work has continued to improve.
“I felt like I was painting with mittens on and all of the sudden I got fingers,” DeVito says. “That growth process, I wouldn’t trade
it for anything.”
And her business has grown, too. Her art Instagram (@lesli_devito_art) has 7,000 followers. She’s expanded her range to include other
animals like cats—and, on a few occasions, cows. DeVito had tons of time on her hands
this past summer, and ended up painting more than she ever had. It was a way of connecting with others in a time of isolation.