Ask any fine artist what their subject matter relates to, and often, the answers range anywhere from nudes and abstracts, to landscapes. So, when we found out that Nicole Momaney's chosen oeuvre was pet portraiture, our interest was piqued.

Momaney, who received a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art, has taken the genre further than we ever imagined, producing exquisite multi-tiered compositions of animals in her Painted Pet Menagerie collection. Anything but going the trite Hallmark route, her imagery has an edge to it, recalling Henri Rousseau with a (loving) splash of Francis Bacon. The fact that these works merit being displayed in galleries is liberating pet owners, who now can publicly declare their unabashed love for their pets on something other than a cheesy collectible plate.

Nicole recently located to the West Coast from Brooklyn with her cat Panda, and was kind enough to shed some light on her chosen field:

Before we came across your awesome work, pet portraiture called to mind commissions by stereotypically crazy and demanding cat owners. How did you get into such a specific genre?
It started out as a joke, actually. In New York, I worked for a home decor company called Jay Strongwater. While I was there, I painted a lot of animal figurines and I totally loved it. One day I was blathering on, wondering how could I possibly make money by painting animals outside of this particular job? Well, I could paint people's pets! Ha! That would be hilarious, right? Well, my friend Grace thought it was a genius idea and went on to tell me about a woman in the West Village who had a studio on Hudson. She was clearly making a fine living as a pet portrait painter, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

How many portraits have you painted of your cat Panda? Was she 'your first?'
I've only done one portrait of Panda and she was my third painting. I had two commissions right off the bat and I couldn't wait to finish them so I could paint her. Panda definitely lends herself to imagery I genuinely like and she's totally beautiful. I haven't done a second one yet because I'm a really SLOW painter...like 40 hours to finish an 11"x14" painting ... so I need a good chunk of time for it. Plus, I just got Dakota (my new lovely American Eskimo dog) so a painting of her will come before a second Panda.

We've seen a picture of your new puppy Dakota who is ADORABLE and incredibly photogenic. When you were picking her out, was that something in the back of your mind?
Of course! It wasn't entirely the basis of my decision, but I wanted a dog I found attractive. It was also important to me that I adopted rather than bought a dog. Craigslist brought us together. The family who owned her felt she wasn't getting the attention she needed living with them, so now she's here getting all kinds of attention from myself and my boyfriend!

Are there other artists who inspire you? I really saw a little Bacon and Rousseau in your work…
There are a TON of artists that inspire me! I'm actually slowly but surely working on my own personal paintings these days and I think the influences are more obvious there than in my pet portraits. But some artists I love are Schiele, Bruegel, Durer, van Eyck, Vrubel, Sargent, Klimt, Caravaggio, and Mucha...and yes, definitely Bacon and Rousseau. Current artists I love include Liz McGrath, Joe Sorren, Colette Calascione, Korin Faught, Scott Musgrove, Lola & Chris Berens.

Do you listen to music when you paint?
I do and I like the moodier stuff like Sigur Ros, Earth, Max Richter, Tindersticks, Spiritualized, Nick Cave, Dead Meadow, Six Organs of Admittance, Slowdive...do I sound dated yet? It's easier for me to focus with music that is less vocal driven (yeah, I know, but Nick Cave & Tindersticks are like home to me so they don't count). I also like to listen to This American Life and Joe Frank, who was a radio personality for a long time. He's my favorite...a lot of sex, religion, dark humor, stream of consciousness story telling. Sunday nights WNYC AM station at 11 PM they rerun his shows. Genius.

Are you in touch with other animal portrait people? Is there a community?
Ha! Well, I actually reconnected with an old college friend and his girlfriend was getting into it. She's awesome, we run into each other at parties and chat. I tried to give her some advice on the "business," whatever that means. Besides her, there's a girl named Alexis Trice who lives in Brooklyn and went to Pratt. I've never actually talked to her but she seems really cool and I like her portraits. I'm sure people who do it are aware of one another, but not necessarily communicating. I'll have a reaction along the lines of "Wow, you're cool and you do this too?! Let's be friends!" when I come across someone like-minded in pet portrait painting. But usually when I look at people's websites...well, let's just say pastels & cray-pas are major tools in their art box.

You've incorporated Milk Bones and tennis balls into your paintings. What is the strangest item a client has asked you to include?
The strangest item wasn't exactly an item, it was an outfit. I did a painting of a puppy dressed in baby pajamas! The dog, a whippet named Zipper Jet, was wearing a onesie that was light blue with little bears all over it! It was totally hilarious. I actually really like that painting.

What's the most unusual animal you've been asked to portray?
Nothing out of the ordinary yet, but I look forward to a potential bird or lizard. My only house rule is no guinea pigs. I should probably put that on my website.

You recently moved to the West Coast from New York City. How's that been?
Well, today it was 70 degrees and sunny, does that answer your question? Honestly, it took about a year, but I quite like LA now, although I miss New York so so so much. I think of it like a long-lost love. Others come after and you like them, but you always come back to the one that got away. I'll move back eventually and in the meantime I'm enjoying the weather and the friends I've made here.

Do you have a dream celebrity pet client?
Paris Hilton, because I know I would get so much work after doing a painting for her. Plus, she'd want some glitzy pink sparkly stuff and I think it would actually be kind of fun. It's not exactly about high-mindedness.

Oh, and what the hell, I'll never get a better opportunity to ask this question in an interview: What sort of dog should Obama get?
I think he should get a Puli. They are totally crazy looking and smart. Either that or a deodorized skunk, I'm pretty sure skunks are hypoallergenic.

~Abbey Braden

All photos and paintings courtesy of Nicole Momaney