Benicia artists love their dogs, perhaps some more than others, to the point where dogs have become a common subject in their artwork.
Three artists — Betty Lucas, Lisa Reinertson, and Barb Duvall – have become known locally for their depictions of dogs, yet their work differs greatly in medium and style.
Betty Lucas
“Growing up with eight siblings, pets were strictly off-limits,” shared artist Betty Lucas. “So of course, we all became a little obsessed with the idea of having one.” As an adult, her career made owning a dog unrealistic, so she became the ‘unofficial auntie’ to every pup in the neighborhood, finding joy in other people’s pets. Betty’s retirement coincided with the COVID shutdown in spring 2020. With free time available, she chose to take an online art course at Arts Benicia, trying her hand at portrait drawing. “My husband lovingly called them ‘realistic monsters,’” she laughs, remembering her first efforts. With practice, her skills advanced. “By the end of the class, I asked if I could draw a dog instead of a person. Suddenly, everything clicked. I could capture pets in ways I could never capture people.”
Not long afterward, her brother gave her a Maltipoo puppy named Butter, and Betty jumped headfirst into the world of Benicia’s dog lovers. “I’ve volunteered at the last two Benicia Dog Festivals,” she shares. “I donate pet portraits for good causes. I draw dogs I meet downtown, in the parks, at the marina — even in grocery stores. Wherever I travel, I come home with new furry faces to draw. People see my artwork in friends’ homes and reach out, asking for their own pet’s portrait. Just one simple art class awakened the artist in me.” Betty draws with pastels and aims to create a realistic likeness with a focus on the eyes and face. “It’s in the eyes that I see the personality and spirit of the dog.”
Lisa Reinertson
“I first started drawing my dog when I was a teenager,” shares artist Lisa Reinertson. “In 1984 I adopted my golden retriever, Sam, while teaching at LSU. Since I wasn’t supposed to have a dog at my apartment or at the school, I had to always keep him with me. As my constant companion, he became my buddy and muse and began showing up in my sculptural work.”
Lisa Reinertson is known regionally and nationally for both her life-size figurative ceramic sculptures and her large-scale public sculptures cast in bronze. Her work ranges in content from female figures and animals in clay, to her historic bronze monumental commissions of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. Her work is imbued with expressions of compassion and concern for nature and our relationships to all living creatures.
“I am interested in our relationships with the other living beings on this earth. Our actual relationships, as with dogs, and also how animals show up in our mythologies and fairy tales, and what those stories reflect about us.” Lisa created the sculpture “Dreamer” from a doodle she made of her dog sleeping. “I incorporated my face into the dog, which could be my, or the dog’s dream. Hanging it on the wall also added to the surreal sense of the artwork. My work combines realism with a contemporary expression of social and psychological content. My dogs are the greatest friends. We go hiking and experience the joy in nature together. It was natural to have them become muses and models for my art.”
Barb Duvall
“I fervently believe that animals are connected to the universe in ways humans barely comprehend,” asserts Benicia artist Barb Duvall. She sees all creatures as beings of immense beauty and truth. “My dogs have taught me what unconditional love really is, as well as other truths. The bonds we form with our pets are transformative and are the source of my artistic vision.”
Barb combines digital art and traditional mediums to create artworks that merge realism and fantasy. Using a collage of bold lines, unexpected patterns, and vibrant colors, she portrays a dog’s personality in a way that elevates them beyond portraiture. Her style is unique and always colorful. A retired classroom teacher, Barb and her husband Joe own two English Labrador Retrievers. Her artwork has been shown in both international and national juried shows, local, regional, and online art galleries. She was commissioned to do a city public art project, and her dogs adorn a city park bench in front of Benicia City Hall. “I want my dog portraits to bring a smile to the viewer,” she says.
