If you live in or have visited the Chicago area and have ever noticed the colorful and great looking street banners, murals or gallery work throughout the city, there is a VERY good chance you have seen the wonderful, whimsical, and totally charming artwork of our February LOCAL SPOTLIGHT artist, Anne Leuck Feldhaus.
The tagline Anne uses to describe her work could not be more perfect, “Contemporary Folk and Urban Pop Art.” Anne paints all sorts of fabulous things, but we were especially interested in her amazing pet portraits and narratives that she makes for both private collectors and public places as well. She has done tons of work throughout the city for animal awareness and also has created some of the best poster art around for animal related causes, rescues, charity events and more.
We were fortunate to get to steal a few minutes of Anne’s time from her busy schedule and ask her some questions about her art, her pets and her involvement with the animal rescue community here in Chicago.
How did you get started in the pets and animals portion of your work or have you always painted animals from the get go?
Dogs started (involuntarily!) appearing in my paintings shortly after adopting Izzy, in 1995; as I was working on new paintings for a group show, one dog after another began appearing on my canvases. I fell head over heels in love with Izzy, she changed my life and my artwork and made me a better human being. Shortly after that show, people started asking if I would feature their dogs in my paintings and before I knew it, my pet portrait business was well under way.
Many people go to Chicago Animal Care and Control to volunteer, work and adopt animals and I always wonder if they know that the amazing art covering the walls and entry way were done by you? How did you get involved with CACC and become the muralist and painter for the facility?
Many people over the years, including some workers from CACC have mentioned it and thanked me for helping to brighten up the place. Back in 2004 Melanie Sobel (Program Director at CACC at the time) asked me if they could have permission to incorporate my images into their educational signage. I was very happy to help out knowing what a sad dreary place it could be. After that I continued to work with them, donating the large “Make a Friend for Life” painting over the check-in desk and later designing posters and t-shirts for fundraisers as well as CACC street banners that hung on Western Avenue and “Be Kind to Animals Week” banners that hung at City Hall downtown. I also designed ads for CACC that ran in The Reader for several years. I had always adopted my pets but my exposure to Animal Control really opened my eyes to the brevity of the homeless pet problem in Chicago and since then I have considered Animal Control ground zero when it comes to Chicago’s homeless animals. I am so thankful for all the no-kill shelters because they take so many animals from CACC and are located in so many diverse locations around the city but I encourage everyone I meet who is considering an adoption to go down to CACC, because their situation is the most dire.
Where are some other public places throughout the city where your work is on display?
I designed the street banners hanging throughout Roscoe Village on Damen, Western, Addison and Roscoe. My paintings hang at various businesses including Roscoe Village Animal Hospital and Chicago Canine Rescue, Art De Triumph and Barker & Meowsky. I do the art fair circuit, so much of the year my inventory stays close to the studio.
What is the best part for you about incorporating animals and pets into your work?
Besides meeting so many amazing people and having them share so many wonderful stories about their pets; it’s the opportunity it affords me to honor my mission of educating people about the need for pet adoption. I use my work as a platform to talk about my own dogs and how they came into my life and the incredible need that is still out there. It’s my way of giving back to all the pets that have showered me with unconditional love and devotion all of my life.
Are you personally involved with any rescues or volunteer organizations here in Chicago?
I’ve worked with countless groups in Chicago over the years mostly donating art and designing posters and when I had my storefront studio in Roscoe Village, I hosted Pet Adoption Events. A few of the groups I’ve worked with include: Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control, Chicago Canine Rescue, Young at Heart Pet Rescue, Tree House Animal Foundation, Harmony House, The Anti-Cruelty Society, and Red Door Animal Shelter.
When someone commissions a pet piece from you, do you go meet their dog or do they send pictures, etc?
I generally work from photos (and for face portraits, the best pick is the one that makes you smile and say: “That’s my fluffy!”) but I love meeting my clients’ dogs and I happily welcome them for studio visits. My Narrative pieces are very unique, as I incorporate all the personal stories about your pet into the composition.
Do you own any pets of your own?
We lost our beloved Izzy back in 2010, but I still have my silly dog, Alice, a 7.5 year old pit mix adopted from Chicago Canine Rescue in 2004. She originally came to us as a foster, her whole litter had been found in an alley. My ex, has our pit mix, Gracie, whom we adopted from Chicago Animal Care and Control in September of 2010. She had been there waiting for a home for three months, she’s the most affectionate dog I’ve ever met!
Do you have any upcoming events or art shows you will be participating in that we can see your work at?
I have a show at the Wishbone on Lincoln in April and I’ll be participating at a few local art fairs this summer, most likely Wells Street and the Bucktown Arts Fest as well as the One of a Kind Show, at the Merchandise Mart next December. Other than that, I’m so busy with commissions right now, my calendar is full!
Also any community projects in the works or rescue projects?
I’ve been through a big life transition in the last year so my community time has been pretty restricted although I did stay on a pig farm for 9 days and painted in the country back in June at the Fields Project Artist Residency. I hope to participate again this year. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my artwork on the Mural Building (overlooking the Kennedy Expressway) for Adopt a Pet Month…I would love to do an image that somehow included all the rescue groups in Chicago and brought the message of homeless pets to the attention of Chicagoans. And I do have a few other ideas percolating that I need to keep under my hat, for now, but please stay tuned!
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Anne is currently offering Chicago Canine Concierge clients and Local Spotlight readers 20% OFF their custom order! She is currently very busy with commissions so be sure to get your order to her asap to reserve your spot!
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Please be sure to check out Anne Leuck Feldhaus Studio website and become a fan of her Facebook page too!