About Reilly
Reilly
Hello!
Hello fellow animal-lover! I am Reilly, the artist and founder of BoopySnoots. I would describe myself as a wild child and free spirit. I’m also a new wife to my best friend, a dog mom to my two other best friends, and, of course, an animal and nature lover!
Ever since I discovered what the word “dog” meant, I was in love. I watched the movie Annie (ya know, lil orphan Annie) and the only thing that stood out to my young brain was that the true star of the show was Sandy the dog. Soon after watching the movie, I got a dress that looked just like one of Annie’s…but the best part? I got a HUGE stuffed animal dog for Christmas. And can you guess what I named it? Yep, Sandy. And yes, I do still have Sandy the stuffed dog all these 20-something years later.
So then my love for dogs grew and grew. I didn’t have many friends and I really didn’t even have imaginary friends, but I did have imaginary dogs! I would even “take them to school with me.” And if there was any family event or neighborhood pool party, I was always excited to go but only if I knew a dog would be present. Then one year I got religious with my obsession with dogs. I received a book called, The Dog Breed Bible. I studied that thing every day. I learned the temperaments, the lifespans, the origins, and even the bone structures of all AKC recognized breeds. It was the best book ever. Then, my little middle school brain hatched a plan to get my parents to agree to FINALLY let us to get a dog. I gathered my research from my Bible and built a case. I concluded that the Labrador Retriever would, in fact, be the most suitable dog breed for our family. (Actually I liked the Flatcoated Retriever more, but apparently they were a bit harder to find in real life). So after a little pushback and many tears, the parents gave in and I finally had my own dog…or should I say dogsssss. Yes, I now had two black labs. My little angels. So yea, the rest is kinda history, but that’s how I came to be the dog-obsessed human that I am today.
My First Sale
It’s been a dream of mine to share my love of dogs ever since I was young. The first piece of art I ever sold (by accident) was simply a piece of regular white printer paper that I had cut into the shape of a dog’s profile. It had triangles for ears and other triangular holes cut out for the eyes and ears. It lived on the side of the fridge for a while until my neighbor came over one day and she immediately fell in love with it. She offered five dollars to take it home and no doubt pin it to the side of HER fridge. I eagerly accepted and went on feeling like a superstar.
Learning to Paint
Summary: I had no real training. I just got skills and lucky maybe.
Long story version:
I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a wee girl. It’s a talent that was just always there for me. I can hardly even take credit for my artistic skills cause it’s just in my DNA. During high school and college, I took a little break from art and focused on school. I remember thinking I would be ashamed if I went to college and spent all that money on just some art degree. Everyone said that artists didn’t make money and for me art was just a hobby. So in my last year of getting an English degree (which I’m not sure how that is more noble or profitable than an art degree) my classes were slowing and I think I was on break. I had brought some art supplies from my last visit home and I pulled up a youtube video of Chuck Black painting a ram. I decided to follow along. By the end, I was blown away. I did that? I was so proud of my little ram and the apparent skill I had discovered in this realism style! Oh how I will never again underestimate the value of these paint-along videos (…looking at you Bob Ross). So my confidence in my art was at an all-time high and that’s when Covid hit, which, as an artist and a recently graduated student, it’s not the worst thing to be locked away at home with all your art ideas and hundreds of tubes of paint and brushes at your fingertips. So, I painted. During the most extreme lockdown phase was when I got a very important commission request from my best friend in college. I sat for hours and hours perfecting this painting and again, once it was done I could hardly believe I had done this with my own hand. As Covid continued and I was still adjusting to life as an adult with no one telling me what to study or what to do, I just painted more! Wildlife, landscapes, little houses, people…butt then friends starting asking for pet portraits. And so it began…
The Birth of The Pet Painter
My mom had nudged me to do pet portraits for a side hustle, but I saw so many other people doing it so I immediately discredited any value I could bring to this potentially saturated market. But these requests were from friends and I loved doing it.
So it started out with friends who saw my art and wondered if I could paint their cats. I was so happy to even be considered! I got pretty good at cats, let me tell you. One of my best pieces was a large cat painting with two cats on a red background. They looked so regal as cats do. But I’ve really always been a dog person, myself. Where were my fellow dog lovers and why didn’t they want their dog to be memorialized forever too?
Well fast-forward to a road-trip that took my husband, two dogs, and I all over and across the country until we found ourselves settling down in San Diego, home of the dog lovers. I fell in love with how pet-friendly the city was. Dog Beach
Quick Facts:
- I love hiking and all things nature.
- I (finally) love to read. But only things like self-help and psychology stuff or fairytales. Nothing in between.
- I have a degree in English.
- I am quite obsessed with my dog Jessie.
- I want to: travel the world; run an ultramarathon; be awesome at rockclimbing; have a ton of kids; finally learn Spanish; and be the best mom, wife, and neighbor I can be.