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Published 17:44 IST, January 11th 2020

Ireland artist paints portraits of people's deceased pets free of cost

Artist from northern Ireland has been painting portraits of the deceased pets of people free of cost after his own pet dog passed away in September 2019.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
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Artist from Ireland has been painting portraits of the deceased pets of people free of cost. Ian Wilgaus started the philanthropic work after his own pet passed away last year. Since then, Wilgaus had been making sketches every day after he gets home from his job in hospitality till dawn.

Idea after he saw social media posts

Speaking to international media, the artist said that the initial thought of giving people a portrait as a way to remember their pets crossed his mind after he saw several people posting online about losing their pets. He added since he started making portraits in September 2019, he has been flooded with requests. Wilgaus also said that practically he can only do one or two portraits per day, but the feedback he has received has spurred him on to do as many as he can in the coming few years.

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Talking about the feedback, Wilgaus said that he has got a lot of great responses about the work he’s sent adding that his goal while painting the pets is to try and capture them as exactly as they are remembered by their owners. He revealed that many people contact him saying that they want to get a surprising portrait for a friend or family who’s pet has passed away. 

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17:44 IST, January 11th 2020