Eight years ago, after a live drawing gig in Japan, artist Ben Lenovitz returned to New York City with the idea of painting pets. It wasn’t what he thought he’d be doing after art school—or maybe ever, particularly as he’s allergic to cats and dogs. But since that trip, he’s set up a weekend residency at Fishs Eddy, where he does live pet portraits for walk-in customers, as well as an online store through which people can commission pet portraits and shop his artwork. “It’s a way of demonstrating your love for your pet, and a fun thing to do,” he says of those who engage his services. We spoke to Lenovitz about how he got started, his creative process and how the City inspires his work.
A display of Lenovitz's work at Fishs Eddy
What inspired you to start doing pet portraits?
Ben Lenovitz: In art school, I used to paint really big. I’d make a mess, and half my time was about cleanup, so I started working much smaller. I could put a notebook in my pocket. I could draw anywhere—characters on the subway, drawings from real life, drawing my imaginary chickens. So, I thought that could be a business.
I was at a trade show, and this one couple from Osaka has a mom-and-pop shop where they buy American vintage. They would come here, fill up their suitcases [with my work] and bring them back to their shop. Every year, there’s this fair in Osaka in a mall; it’s a New York City fair.
They asked me to come do live drawings of the Statue of Liberty and New York City icons. I had never really drawn live before. I stayed in their house and drew during the day in the mall. And then one lady came up to me and she had a printed-out photo of a 21-year-old cat. She said, “This is my best friend.” She asked me to paint it. I did a painting and her reaction was so positive. She asked me to write “This is my best friend” at the top of the drawing. I loved that interaction. I’m like, “There’s something here.”
After coming back, I did a donation-based pet portrait event at Fishs Eddy and had a line at the door. Since then I’ve been doing pet portraits; it’s been eight years.
A live portrait of Cleo the dog begins to take shape
Walk us through the creative and technical process of making a pet portrait.
BL: I think the style is pop because there’s text and folk because it’s a little untrained. I love painting on cardboard because it’s a ubiquitous material that’s not a fancy canvas where you get a fancy oil painting. Cardboard’s accessible, and it kind of lends itself to the pets. They’re not serious—they’re fun, they have lots of love. Because of the acidity in the cardboard, the paintings stay for long. I use five colors: black, white, light brown, dark brown and pink. Then I use markers to be surgical for the harder lines, but first it’s paint and it’s really washy. The top layer has sharper lines. It’s not meant to be perfect. Lots of accidents happen, and I think that also lends itself to the work and the pets. They’re different. They’re imperfectly perfect.
Lenovitz and Cleo, Fishs Eddy
Cleo poses while Lenovitz adds some finishing touches
Pet portraits seem to be on the rise these days in NYC. Why is that?
BL: People are willing to spend money on their pets. I think it’s a way of demonstrating your love for your pet. It can be a gift for yourself a lot of times, or to get for others—it’s just a fun, quirky thing to do.
Lenovitz at Fishs Eddy
Tell us about your residency at Fishs Eddy.
BL: It was my mom’s shop for the last 30 years. Now there’s new owners, so they really welcomed me in. That’s the relationship; I grew up there. I’m there from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. People just walk in and I do a pet portrait. It’s usually from photos on their phones, but sometimes they’ll bring the pet in—dog, cat, pigeon—and I’ll paint from that too. It’s more fun, and I can cross-reference the photo, the painting and the actual animal to make sure things are accurate.
One couple came in with two cute pigeons that they got from Wild Bird Fund that they’re raising. Other people come in and talk about how their dogs saved them from addiction or grief. One time it was a mom and two daughters, and their dog suddenly died while they were at school, so they never got to say goodbye. And as I was painting the dog’s eyes, they burst out in tears. Because it was like they’re seeing the dog, and it’s their chance, as they said, to say goodbye again.
A grid of Lenovitz's NYC-themed pigeon drawings
Some of your products are about NYC, directly or indirectly. How has the City influenced your work?
BL: Well, I do these pigeon drawings that are meant to represent the neighborhoods of the City. I try to match the personality of the pigeon to the neighborhood. Like, Soho’s kind of got a big head and she could be carrying lots of bags. Chelsea’s flamboyant. East Village is cool and smokes cigarettes.
The real Cleo (left) and the finished portrait
What kinds of challenges have you faced as a maker in NYC?
BL: Finding time to do all the hundred tasks that are required each day. I wish I could just sit and paint pet portraits, but there’s so much to figure out, like with shipping. The biggest challenge, though, is social media. I hear these [pet] stories and they’re so rich and everyone’s so passionate about their pet. So, I’m slowly trying to figure out how to include these stories with permission on Instagram.
What advice do you have for artists who want to start their own business?
BL: It takes so much muscle that you have to find it fun. Work and life blend, which is a good and bad thing, but that’s the tradeoff over a nine-to-five job. It should be fun.
Find more discussions with local entrepreneurs on our Makers of NYC page.
