Hong Kong artist Annie Knibb’s talent for painting and her fondness for animals have pushed her creative career in a new direction, that of pet-portraits.

“I really enjoy depicting animals,” she said. People contact her to commission paintings of their pawed, or clawed, companions.

At Annie’s peaceful studio on a hill overlooking Hung Shing Yeh Beach on Lamma Island, she works from photographs to create pleasing images of even shy creatures. A display of her pet portraits recently graced the walls at Lamma’s leading watering hole, The Island Bar.

"I’m definitely a pet person. I love animals,” Annie affirmed. “Sometimes I know the names of dogs, but not their humans. Often I recognize people by their animals.

“I’d been painting dogs because they’re a subject available to me on a regular basis,” Annie said. “Then I started to think about making it a more focused enterprise. Capturing animals’ expressions pleases me.”

Previously, landscapes and Buddha images filled many of her canvases. She has experimented with “collage and paint mixed together”.

Heading the queue among Annie’s animal clients stood Not the Cat, a real-life feline who starred in the 2005 Lamma Island novel, Dog-Gone Cat Case by Jay Scott Kanes.

Originally from Britain, Annie has lived on Lamma since 1995. “Earlier, I spent a few months on Hong Kong Island, but didn’t like it,” she said. “I decided that Lamma made a great mid-point between China and the United Kingdom. The blend of cultures really appealed to me.

“Lamma’s an absolutely perfect place to be an artist. I’m really inspired by its nature, especially the wild, almost unkempt hillsides. I spend a lot of time looking at trees, flowers, birds and rocks. It’s very peaceful, which is great, because there’s no distraction.

“On Lamma, I feel completely free to be who I am. There’s no need to conform to styles or social pressures.”

When not painting, Annie works part-time as a writer, editor, proofreader and translator. “I started to paint as a hobby,” she said. “When I really liked it, I just kept going.”

The pricetag to immortalize pets on canvas depends mainly on the painting’s size. Annie invites email enquiries at: annie@nondog.com.

ARCHIVES

Presto! Annie displays a finished painting.


Personality shows in the dog portraits.


This feline image hangs in a skyscraper in Hong Kong’s Central business district.

Annie depicted Not the Cat at his favorite hobby, enjoying a belly rub.

Here come the finishing touches, as seen through the artist’s eyes.


Canine fans shower Annie with affection.