The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Portraitist puts focus on dead, dying pets
RESTON, VA. — Erica Eriksdotter always paints the eyes first.
“The eyes are the most important part,” Eriksdotter said of her hand-painted portraits of dead or dying pets. “The eyes are the windows to the soul, basically. So if you do not get the eyes right, you’re screwed.”
Eriksdotter, 39, spends her days painting pictures of deceased pets — as well as healthy animals — in her home studio in Reston, Virginia. She’s been doing it since she quit her job as a public relations consultant in 2017 to focus on her business, Studio Eriksdotter. Painting has been a favorite pastime for much longer: ever since she sold her first picture of a red balloon at age 10.
Her pet portraits start at $774 for a 12-by-12-inch canvas and go up from there. Each one takes her about a month to complete.
The price tag may seem hefty, but demand for her portraits is strong among D.C.-area pet owners: Eriksdotter’s wait list is six months. She also paints bridal bouquets and other flowers, but her focus is pets.
So far, she has painted only dogs and cats, documenting all of her work on Instagram. Eriksdotter is willing to paint pretty much any animal, though. She’s “holding out hope” for a snake sometime soon.
“That would be such an interesting challenge,” she said.
The pet portraits’ popularity may be because of Eriksdotter’s unique process, suggested Antonietta Corvasce, a District of Columbia-based psychotherapist who specializes in grief and loss counseling. Clients who buy paintings of their deceased pets also sign up for several weeks of something akin to therapy.
Eriksdotter asks customers to provide her with photos of the animal, often sending them on nostalgia-filled tours through old memories caught on camera. She also prods them to discuss their pet, initially by asking about basic information — things like breed and age — that then spur long, emotional emails filled with tales of love and loss, Eriksdotter said.
“It sounds to me like what she’s doing is an effective way of helping people mourn,” Corvasce said. “She’s giving them a safe space to be able to talk about their animal, and by talking about it, that’s a way of mourning, which leads to a place of healing.”