Art Attack – Dyanna Bruno

“Lively, reverent, and emotive” just begins to describe the dog portraits of Texas-based artist Dyanna Bruno. Through Pop Art tenets and bold colours, Bruno captures the intangible, exuberant adoration we have for our dogs.

Bruno works from photographs to reflect the energy within each picture. “Everyone has a favourite photo,” she says. “I try to figure out exactly what it is my clients love about that photo and emulate that on the canvas.” Bruno finds that people love their dogs, sometimes more than anything else, and that love as evidenced in photographs can be translated to canvas.

What makes Bruno’s process so unique is that, unlike many artists who work standing up using an easel, Bruno prefers to work from the ground. She’ll sit on the floor with her work set out flat on a table in front of her. From that vantage point, using just two brushes and acrylics on canvas, she brings her subjects to life. She finds herself drawn to huge pots of primary and complementary colours and describes her work as “Warhol-esque.” She chooses the colours in her paintings based on her own intuition. Together, her Pop Art sensibility and use of color magically reflect each subject’s spirit.

As a child, Bruno was always creative and, in high school, she was fascinated with drawing frogs. She holds an art degree from the University of Florida and a graphic design degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Before realizing her affinity for dog portraiture, Bruno expressed her creativity while working at a bakery as a cake decorator. She began painting almost accidentally when she came across a photo of her dog taken during Fourth of July celebrations. “The energy was so palpable in that photo, I had to paint it,” she recalls. The rest is history; she had found her calling. Since then, she has painted countless portraits.

Also a proud dog-mom to Ruccus, a Pit Bull rescue, Bruno is a huge supporter of animal charities and pet rescue organizations. Being a Pit Bull owner, she aims to break down the stereotypes that Pit Bulls are mean-spirited and wants to create awareness that it is the owners who need to take responsibility for enabling aggressive behaviour in their dogs. For Bruno, owners have the choice to either nurture the innate love in animals or enable fear.

Commissions begin at $140. To see a gallery of her work, visit mypawportrait.com.