Renowned Dog Artist Skip Hartzell Donates 40% Of Sales To Animal Rescue

Skip Hartzell is known in South Florida as “the dog artist”, but Skip’s dogs are not ordinary dogs. His inspiration comes in the form of a morning walk, accompanied by a furry friend. The artwork he creates of man’s best friend are figments of his artistic imagination and creative vision. Don’t look for portraits of your pooch or pictures of dogs playing cards, you won’t find them in Skip’s repertoire.

Artist Skip Hartzell in his studio with his dogs

His work instead captures the carefree liveliness, lovability and whimsy of canines. Hartzell creates directly from his emotions and instincts, his work is inspired by dogs of all shapes, sizes and varieties. The artist is extremely passionate about his subject matter and donates proceeds from the sale of his artworks to animal-rescue no kill shelters. You see, Skip is retired, and he isn’t motivated by money. He is making his art purely for the art itself, which is rare for an artist. This quality fascinates us about Hartzell, which distinguishes him from his contemporaries and places him in an entirely different category of artists.

‘Partners’, Resin & Graphite, 25 x 37 x 21 Inches

Skip creates large paintings and works on paper that capture the essence of “dog”. He is best known for his unique sculptures recognized immediately by their distinct form and style that only Hartzell can produce. But don’t be fooled by the cuteness of his work — just like real dogs, Skip’s dogs draw you in. All of the work is rich with intricacies of color and technique. His painterly expression captures each dog’s own personality with beautiful textures, line and brush strokes using mixed media to bring each dog to life.

‘Tugger’, Oil and Graphite on Canvas, 30 x 40 Inches

The artist is typically found sporting a shirt that reads, “I support putting dog abusers to sleep,” with dog patterned suspenders, and it is clear from the first introduction that Hartzell’s affinity for canines transcends the average. But the story of Hartzell’s career is more elaborate than one might assume.

‘Dog #42’, Resin, Paper and Concrete, 11 x 11 Inches

The recipient of a BFA in Sculpture and an MFA in Painting, young Hartzell taught high school students for two years while continuing his creative studies at the University of Iowa. Shortly thereafter he relocated to Chicago, Illinois with the intent to pursue art full-time. After struggling to make ends meet as an artist, Hartzell began doing freelance illustration work which led to a prosperous 35-year career in advertising and marketing.

Skip Hartzell Dogs collector Dr. Milagros Bello of Curator’s Voice Art Projects (CVAP)

It wasn’t until Hartzell retired from his distinguished career that he returned to creating his art full time. The most meaningful of his inspirations was a longstanding, and deeply embedded love of dogs.

‘Dog #32’, Resin, Paper & Concrete, 14 x 10 Inches

The biggest disservice a viewer could do to Hartzell’s work is liken it to mere dog-art. Hartzell is not a dog-painter, but rather an artist who is intent on exploring the movement, form, and energy embodied by man’s best friend. Hartzell’s dogs have a wonderful quality of friendliness about them, and it’s hard to keep yourself from reaching out to touch.

‘Litter’, Flashe & Graphite on Paper, 42 x 60 Inches

“Dogs are always in the moment. Although nothing in life has held my attention longer or has been more fascinating to me than dogs, my work is about much more than that. It is about form, movement, color and texture. The dogs are a recognizable common denominator that allows me to communicate my joy of living, passions and sentiments,” explained Skip Hartzell.