Art for Shelter Animal Project Donates Painting to Montville Shelter

When I am not working on the Patch site, I busy myself making and selling paintings.

One of my pursuits is the Art for Shelter Animals Project, which I started a few years ago with an internet friend from California.

In the project, artists from around the world make portraits of animals in their local shelters, or with local rescue groups, and then donate the art to the shelter or rescue group. Between the time when the artists make the paintings and the time they donate them, they take photos and send them to me, and I upload them to the Art for Shelter Animals Project blog.

Patch was really built around the idea of community, volunteering and giving back. Several times a year, everyone in Patch donates time and work to community causes. The local Patch editors have done this as a group, fixing up the Ledyard animal shelter and buying holiday gifts for families in need in New London and Groton.

This time, I thought I would bring the Art for Shelter Animals Project to Patch, and so I made a portrait of Lulu, who has just had nine puppies at the Montville shelter.

To read about Lulu and her puppies, click . To see a recent video of three of the pups, click .

Chris Martel, the animal control officer, can do whatever she wants with the portrait - hang it in the shelter, sell it, use it as an auction item or donate it to whoever adopts Lulu.

Any artist wanting to join the project should take a look at the blog, or email me at carrie.jacobson@patch.com - or just make a painting of an animal in the shelter or with a rescue group, and donate it! But send me a photo before you do.