If his anthropomorphic animal portraits are any indicator, artist Bill Mayer must have the poshest pets around. His portraits of animals in historical costume should be funny but somehow manage to communicate gravitas instead. Employing traditional European painting techniques, his works all seem like they should be more than a hundred years old. His traditional backgrounds also lend to the sense of solemn importance.
Also a successful commercial artist, Mayer is popular with the magazine crowd, too, with commissions for The New York Times Magazine, Scientivic American, and Smithsonian Magazine.
“For me, the most important element of the painting is the concept. The medium you use is just a way of furthering that original concept or finding some elements that add an intelligence to the work. Most of the time I start with small thumbnails which help me sort out the basic visual, a starting place. It probably comes from years of commercial work where you have to show your ideas before you start on a piece… Sometimes I will pull a piece of acetate over a painting and try to figure out what was bothering me and try a few things. Sometimes I will scan them in and use Photoshop, try some things, then go back and paint that way.”
– Bill Mayer
You can see all of Bill Mayer’s fanciful work on his website and on Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr.
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My OBT 
March 16, 2023 at 6:46 am
Quite interesting. I know I will be looking at them over and over!
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March 16, 2023 at 9:56 am
They really are fascinating!
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March 16, 2023 at 11:39 am
LOL..Laura will right at home. I love the mouse. She, or he, is so cute.
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March 17, 2023 at 1:17 pm
I love that one!
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March 16, 2023 at 2:48 pm
These are fabulous. I love the homage to traditional, historic portraiture and the detail in the visual textures.
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March 17, 2023 at 1:23 pm
They feel like they belong in a museum!
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