Hello, thank you for visiting my site. My name is Hiroko Ishimaru. I come from Japan and have settled down in the U.S. over 20 years.
I went to University of New Mexico and received the B.F.A. degree in Studio Art, where I enjoyed learning the Abstract Expressionism, and later I got the M.I.S./M.B.A. degree from the same school.
In my childhood, my family had a stray dog who settled down in our home, but all I remember is that he bit my rain shoes! It was my dream to own my own dogs, but it was long time later in U.S. that I finally got my furry members. My first and second dogs were Australian Shepherd mix coming from a pound and a rescue group. My first dog, Godzilla thought his life was going to be terminated, so I still remember he refused to come out of the cage when I went to adopt him. Our household includes three furry family members – two Blue-Heeler mix dogs who are from different rescue groups as well as a Border Collie.
I started painting them for fun, which my friends spotted and mentioned one day that I should start painting for other dog owners. Gee, what a wonderful idea that was, I love and adore dogs, and it was something I have loved to do! So here we go, Paws & Paint officially started in 2005, and ever since, I have served many dogs lovers all over the States for over ten years.
Sometimes my custom portrait served as a surprise (i.e. sneaky) birthday present, sometimes as a beautiful memory, and sometimes as a fun house ornament. Each dog has unique dognality and special meanings to us, and I love the fact that portraits I create bring some meanings to dog lovers like you and me. When I work with portraits with you, I would really appreciate that I get information about your furry family member, as I want to understand how you see your beloved him/her as close as you do. Sometimes there’re families who ask me to paint their family pets – a dog and a cat, and even other family pets, such as a turtle!, which is perfectly fine with me! They are so special, aren’t they?
Thank you again for visiting my site, and may the portrait of your dog brighten your day.
Hiroko
Paws & Paint 