Mary Ryan
Pet Portraits Ireland

Realistic pet portraits that you can treasure for a lifetime
How to commission a pet portrait
pet portraits Ireland

Welcome!

My name is Mary Ryan and I am an Irish pet portrait artist. I live with my husband Niall, and our four rescued cats, in Clare, in the west of Ireland. I love to create highly detailed, custom pet portraits of cats and dogs. These pet portraits can be treasured for a lifetime, thanks to the superb lightfastness of the pencils I use. I also only use acid-free, archival quality drawing surfaces.

Being a proud Mom (servant!), to four rescued cats, I know how much we all love the animals we share our lives with. I can create a beautiful portait of your beloved pet, so you can remember them forever. We all have so many of photos of our pets on our phones, but there is something so life-like, so moving, about a specially commissioned portrait!
dog portrait Ireland

Highly detailed

I love to create highly detailed custom pet portraits, but I can only do that if I have a very sharp, high resolution photo to work from. Ideally the photo of your pet will be well lit (preferably taken in daylight so I can see the true colours), with excellent detail in the eyes and face. If you can send me a few photos, that would be even better. I can then see more of your pet's personality.

coloured pencil portrait of Saluki dog

The eyes have it!

Most of the pet portraits I create are focused on the head and neck. That way I can lovingly recreate your pet's face in great detail and make them truly come alive in their portrait. I particularly love drawing highly realistic eyes, so do try to get a photo which shows as much facial detail as possible. If I can't see it in the photo, I can't draw it.

saluki pet portrait with coloured pencils

Memorial Pet Portraits

Losing our beloved furry companion can be heartbreaking. Remembering and celebrating their life with a realistic pet portrait can help us to remember the wonderful times we shared with them. If you would like to commission a portrait of a deceased pet, you can send me the best photos you have of them and I will do my best to capture their spirit and personality.

German Shepherd pet portrait

Remember them forever

I use the very best materials available. The coloured pencils I use are German-made Faber-Castell Polychromos and Swiss-made Caran d'Ache Luminance. They have the highest light-fastness ratings and drawings created with them will last, without fading, when proper care is taken. The finished art-work must never be hung in direct sunlight, and use of UV protecting glass is highly recommended.

Commission a pet portrait

What my clients say...

“When I commissioned Mary to draw a portrait of our Saluki "Stryder", I had a feeling it would be good. But when I saw it for the first time it brought tears to my eyes - it was stunning. It not only captured his beauty, but also somehow his character and soul. Her work and images speak for themselves. I can wholeheartedly, thoroughly recommend without hesitation.”
custom pet portrait of a saluki dog, wearing a red collar
Jonathan Hall
“I just received two portraits from Mary of my beloved cat, San, who is 15 years old and I am absolutely blown away. The level of detail is astonishing - it looks so real, like a photograph. Every tiny feature, from the texture of his fur to the expression in his eyes, is captured perfectly. Seeing it up close, I was struck by how much life and emotion it holds. What makes this even more special is knowing I now have something to cherish forever. San has been with me for so many years, and this beautiful portrait means the world to me. It's more than just a drawing; it's a lasting memory of my loving pet that I will treasure for a lifetime. I can't recommend Mary enough. The skill, the care and passion put into this piece are undeniable. If you're looking for an incredible pet portrait, this is the place to go!.”
personalised pet portrait
Yesom Breen
"I reached out to Mary when I wanted to get a portrait of my husbands dog for him as a wedding present. Apart from the portrait being absolutely stunning and so incredibly lifelike, Mary was such a pleasure to deal with. She was so kind and approachable, and was just as excited as I was for my husband to receive it. Mary captured Phoebe’s character in such a special way in the portrait, it really is an incredible talent she has. Would absolutely recommend her. Thank you again Mary"
lurcher pet portrait
Faye Lyons
“Wow, stunning, incredible & unbelievable and blown away is the words I described to Mary when I received my beautiful, incredible detailed portrait of my six felines. My word are her portraits so detailed! Not only is Mary so very talented but also listen so carefully to achieve what I saw/wanted in my head. It has been an absolutely pleasure in dealing with Mary from start to finish. I would highly recommend Mary if you want an absolutely one of a kind life time portrait of your pet/pets. Thank you again Mary for the amazing artwork."
Maeve Leamy
"I can’t express how thrilled I am with the portrait of my three dogs—it’s truly a masterpiece. From the moment I unwrapped it, I was blown away by the level of detail, emotion, and personality the artist captured. Each dog’s unique expression, from the tilt of the head to the sparkle in their eyes, was rendered with such care and precision that it felt like they were right there in front of me. What impressed me most was how the portrait didn’t just capture what they look like—it captured who they are. Their individual quirks, their bond with each other, and their distinct personalities all come through so clearly. The artist took the time to understand each dog, and it shows in every brushstroke. It's not just a beautiful work of art—it's a deeply personal keepsake that I will treasure forever. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a portrait that goes far beyond the surface. Absolutely stunning work!"
Beverley Phelan
“I had no idea when I was trawling the internet to find an artist to do a portrait of my son’s beloved cat how lucky I was to find Mary. Not only is she an amazing artist but she such a kind caring lady who takes no end of the effort to make sure she paints the best portrait possible. I couldn’t praise her or recommend her more highly not only for her amazing skill but for the absolute care and attention she took to produce the very best memory of our beloved pet. A true lady. Thank you so much Mary. You are amazing”.
Black Cat
Mary Geoghegan Moore
“The details that Mary captured in the portrait of our little pug x are incredible. Mary was really easy to deal with and very professional. She really wanted to meet our expectations checking details on background colour etc. It was so well packaged and arrived on time a great experience from start to finish."
pet portraits ireland
Michelle Rossiter
“Mary Ryan did a portrait of my Dog Iggy, She could not have done a better job in capturing his beauty but also his spotty personality. I would highly recommend her! 🐶🐶"
Paula McHale
“Mary Ryan Pet Portraits thank you so much for the care and attention you put into drawing our little baby. No only did you capture every detail of his coat but you captured the love and adoration he has for his Daddy. You are a genius and I cannot thank you enough for creating the most perfect birthday gift ever. 5 Star service 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟"
Wilson portrait
Sharon Barry
photo collage of the artist and husband, with her four rescue cats

How it started…

My love for art started when I was about three years of age.  I can clearly remember spending hours drawing and painting.  I was always asking for little paint sets and I had a blackboard on which I would draw and redraw the same little scene, until I was happy with it.  Yes, I was a perfectionist even at that young age!

Art was my favourite subject in school.  I even did after-school art classes.  In secondary school, we had an end of year art competition each year.  I think I won first prize every year.  When I left school, I went to art college in Cork City (my home town!), but that was a bit of a disappointment to me.  My love for detail and realism was not in vogue and was not appreciated.  There was an emphasis on a more expressive and abstract style.  That was not a direction that I wanted to go in.

How it’s going

In the last few years I have started to rekindle my passion for drawing.  I was surprised and delighted that I seemed to still have it!  In fact, even though I took a long break from art, my drawing ability seems to be better now than it was when I was younger.  I was lucky enough to come across the internationally acclaimed pet portrait artist, Bonny Snowdon, and I joined her academy where I have learned to fine-tune my skills in colour pencil drawing.  

Creating custom pet portraits is now central in my day to day life.  I absolutely love it! It’s wonderful seeing someone’s reaction when they see the portrait I have created of their much loved pet.  

an art studio and photos of the artist
Commission a pet portrait
grafix logo

Grafix archival drafting film is one of my favourite surfaces on which to draw. It allows for incredibly fine detail. An excellent choice when your reference photo is well focused and highly detailed.

Visit Strand Framing

If you are looking to have a beautiful, custom frame made for your pet portrait, check out Strand Framing. They are based in West Cork and they offer amazing custom-made frames. I find their online ordering to be simple and straight-forward. Then again, I AM from Cork, so maybe I'm biased 🙂

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