Today we’d like to introduce you to Henriette Scherft.
Henriette, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to Boston from the Netherlands in 1990 after graduating the college of Art in Rotterdam and worked as a freelance artist, illustrator and art teacher. I was invited to a wedding and when I asked if there was any particular gift they would like, they asked for a charcoal portrait of their pet, a beautiful Airedale Terrier named Barry. Judging by the reaction the portrait got, I thought there might just be a market for it. This was in the mid-nineties, still pre-internet and I starting to go to dog shows and put my work on display to get business.
Now everything comes through my website, petportraitsbyhenriette.com, but the principal is still the same. I work from photographs and after it is finished it can be either dropped off, delivered or sent through the mail. There is no upfront fee, people pay after they receive it. After all these years I have never been burned.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I take on the amount of work that I can handle, to be honest, there have not been any major obstacles.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pet Portraits by Henriette – what should we know?
I draw portraits of pets in charcoal or pastel. I pride myself in capturing not only the likeness but also the spirit and expression of the animal nobody knows their pet better than the owner. So when they tell me that I have captured their pet’s expression exactly, I know I have done a good job. Many of the photographs I work from are of pets that have passed. Sometimes the pictures are a little blurry, or the top of the ear might be missing, but after so many years I know how to fill in the missing pieces. It is not my goal to make a drawing that looks like a tracing of the photograph, there are plenty of computer programs that can do that. My goal is to capture the essence of the pet.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Value, I keep my prices reasonable. Consistent quality.
Pricing:
- Pastel portrait ( full color) 11” x 14” $260
- Pastel portrait 14″ x 18″ $290
- Pastel portrait 16” x 20” $320
- Charcoal ( black and white) 11” x 14” $180
- Charcoal 14″ x 18″ $200
- Charcoal 16” x 20” $230
- Gift Cards also available
Contact Info:
- Address: 96 Orange Street Roslindale, MA 02131
- Website: www.petportraitsbyhenriette.com
- Phone: 617 325 9245
- Email: hascherft@gmail.com
- Facebook: Pet Portraits by Henriette
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