Custom Painterly Pet Portraits

“In my work, I am trying to focus on the silver lining, the beauty and the happiness of life with color,” says MG Stout, who started painting as a way to cope with her postpartum depression. Desperate to shake the feeling after her beloved daughter was born, she picked up a brush and transformed the walls of her house into colorful murals. Visitors loved what they saw, and soon MG found herself working as a decorative artist in other people’s homes.

She was a philosophy student with no formal training in art, so she joined an art center and spent three years experimenting and finding her artistic voice. As she puts it, “I did a lot of soul searching.” During that time, she dumpster-dove for kitchen cabinets and held her first art show, featuring pieces made with the salvaged cupboards. Now, several solo shows, two books, and many exhibits later, she’s working full-time as a visual artist creating work in her Virginia studio. “Just be honest with yourself,” she says, “For me, art makes life better and bearable.”