Readers can catch Leelanau artist Kat Dakota’s artwork on the cover of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (JAVMA) this month. The American Veterinary Medical Association is one of the nation’s leading advocates for veterinary care and medical advancement with distribution around the country.
Dakota, a commercial and fine artist who specializes in oil painting, had one of her completed pet portraits, a commission from one of her customers, selected to be used on the August issue. The portrait depicting a dog named Nora looking up with adoring blue eyes was something Dakota made for her customer, Jennifer, however, another customer, Julie, originally suggested she submit her work for the JAVMA cover. While Dakota thought it was a longshot to be chosen, she submitted her work to the association anyway in hopes that someone would eventually contact her.
“I thought it was a great idea on Julie’s part (to submit art), but I also thought it was a far shot because there’s a lot of incredible artists across the nation that’ll submit their artwork to be on the cover,” Dakota said. “They (JAVMA) contacted me in February… I was totally excited, and I had decided to keep it a secret until I received copies of the issue, so I knew for seven months.”
Just as pleasantly surprising it was to receive the news about the JAVMA cover, Dakota met the owner of Nora also in an unlikely way. She was originally doing pet portraits through the Pet Supply Plus store in Traverse City and collaborating with them. At the store, they were allowing customers to enter into a drawing to win a free pet portrait. Jennifer was one of those customers that won that drawing, and thus came about the painting of Nora.
“That was a great opportunity too, I’m just really blessed with the opportunities that have come my way,” she said. “I love animals, and one of my biggest natural highs is being able to meet people from all over the world because obviously with us being a tourist area, you meet so many people with different backgrounds.”
The first person Dakota shared the news of the cover art with was her mom as she didn’t tell her about this opportunity either. She said her mom was just as excited as her when she saw her work displayed on the journal.
“I gave her a copy with a note written on the cover thanking her for all of her support and Christian guidance,” she said. “So my plan is to give it to some family, and I mailed one out to Jennifer who Nora belongs to… I’ve used the image of the painting of her dog on one of my signs and she was thrilled about that.”
Dakota said the great thing about doing art work for people is she becomes friends with them in the process. Whether it’s the love of dogs or art in general, Dakota said her and her customers have the best conversations.
“Often my customers will return just to see me even if they aren’t local, and we’ll look at current pictures of their dogs… it’s really kind of a neat bond,” she said. “I’ve always wanted people to see more than just the subject matter in my artwork, I wanted it to speak to them personally. No matter what I paint, whether it’s landscape, waterscape, or portrait, I want it to resonate with the viewer.” Although she previously tried digital painting, the first time Dakota painted hands-on was only about five years ago when she took an art workshop in Frankfort. The class then triggered her interest in picking up a brush and finding her love for painting in general as a career. Following her love of both art and animals, Dakota’s first two pet portraits would also be of her dogs, Bo and Schatze. Both have passed, but their portraits are still hanging up in the studio till this day.
“Dogs have always been my favorite pet. They keep the world sane,” she said. “You just look at them and hug them and everything is okay… I believe I found the gifts God intended me to polish and develop, and it took awhile for me to get to this point, but I thank him for all the blessings that come my way and I just pray I continue on the path he’s planned for me.”
Dakota is still accepting commissions for artwork, whether requests be of pets, wildlife, landscapes, or children and adult portraits. In the last few years, Dakota has sold paintings at each plein air event she’s attended, including winning second place at the 2023 Gene Rantz Memorial Plein Air Paint Out in Northport. The many art-themed events throughout the county not only keep her busy, but also keep her engaged and learning more about the different work completed by other talented artists.
“There’s a lot of giving artists out there that want to share the wisdom of what they learned, so through all the local artists and through some wonderful online art networks, I’ve been able to communicate with artists around the world and ask questions and we help each other,” she said. “If I’m not painting, I’m usually studying other people’s work.”
To meet or view Dakota in her element, her studio, Kat Dakota Art, is located at 307 N. Saint Joseph Street in Suttons Bay above Case Daniels, or visit her website at KatDakota.com to learn more.
