Pet portraits

''The style of my work is very ornamental," explains artist Kathy Weller. ''I like to use a lot of symbolism, and I like to use fantasy imagery."

Weller's pet portraits are far from the standard pictures of sedate, realistic-looking animals staring blankly from sky-blue canvases. Instead, her fanciful watercolors feature dogs and cats lounging on the beach in Hawaii, frolicking on a dude ranch wearing cowboy hats and spurs, or jumping through hoops at the circus. The ornate borders and soft colors of the paintings give the impression that these animals are starring in their own Bollywood film. The effect is like entering a pet's dream.

''I like to find out what the pet's favorite toy is, or if they have a favorite insect that they like to chase, and then I'll work that into the painting," she says.

Weller, who attended the Art Institute and Massachusetts College of Art, didn't set out to specialize in animal portraits, but she grew fond of sketching and painting her husband's pug, Guinness. After people responded strongly to her portraits, she decided to branch out to painting other people's animals last year. In order to capture an animal's personality, Weller asks pet owners to send her a few photos, and some of their pets' favorite activities. A 7-by-9-inch portrait of a single animal costs $140; a portrait with two pets costs $165. Larger sizes are also available.

For more information, visit www.kathyweller.com or e-mail kathyweller@mac.com.

Note: Kathy Weller works at Boston.com