Hillary Tonken is an artist specializing in pet portraits that capture the essence of her subject from a series of photos provided by the pet’s owners. Her earliest memories are of being surrounded by pets. Four dogs and a cat followed her around from her parents NYC townhouse to a country house in Duchess County, NY where her family kept horses. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as her father was a renowned fashion photographer and her mother a painter. 

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“To me there is nothing better than to be able to capture the personality of someone’s pet. The joy that it brings is well worth the many hours of detailed work it takes to complete a likeness. It’s all part of a process I have come to love."

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Hillary lives in Redding, CT in a converted barn with 3 dogs, a cat and her husband.