Welcome to the Artists Corner - where creativity meets connection!
Here, we're celebrating the incredible bond between humans and animals through the eyes of talented artists from all walks of life. Click on any artist's thumbnail to dive into their story, explore their portfolio, and get inspired by their unique take on human-animal interaction.
Feeling creative? We'd love to feature your work, too! Become an HAI member to submit your own art and join our growing community of animal-loving artists.
Lauren Bennett
Ken Gorczyca
Freya Green
Jane Marie Allen Farmer
John McBurney
Malvika Vazalwar
Jeanne Zachos
Allison (Lisena) Elixavide
Michelle Tinkham
Catherine Rodriguez
Kathleen Stemler
Brenda Brown
Jessica Maricevic
Kate Neligan & Nica Quinn
Tiffany MacNeil
Clarissa Palmer
Cary Brown
Kim Snyder
Estrella Fages
Dr. Darlene Chalmers and Dr. Colleen Dell
Vivienne Lynch
Ellen Finnie
Cindy Gordon, PhD, LPC
Sandra Schustack
Artists Corner
Dr. Allison Broennimann
Meet Dr. Allison Broennimann! Dr. Broennimann is a psychologist who practices neuropsychology and depth psychotherapy. She is exploring ways to integrate equine therapy practice in her attachment work and depth psychology.
As a photographer, she brings that same gentle curiosity and depth, capturing images that honestly reflect the rancher's unique experiences with their animal-human connections.
Her website is https://www.stocktalesandmanes.com/gallery
Instagram handle is @stocktalesandmanes
Massachusetts-based illustrator Morgan Kerchner creates whimsical ink illustrations that blend realism and fantasy, showcasing themes of nature, melancholy, and playfulness. Inspired by classic children's books, she aims to spark viewers' imaginations as well as a sense of delight. She works for both Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, a farmed animal sanctuary in Texas, as a social media content creator, and New England VegFest as a graphic designer, helping to spread the message of compassion for animals.
https://ayearofmoons.com/
Facebook: A Year of Moons
Instagram: @ayearofmoons
Sandra Schustack is a Westchester based artist on a mission to spread love, sunshine, and positivity. She creates feel-good art that reminds us to find joy in the daily chaos. With bold lines, bright colors, and a playful spirit, she captures life’s “magic moments,” offering a little slice of uncomplicated happiness.
Website: www.sanjmakes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanjmakes/ (@sanjmakes)
Meet Cynthia! In the summer of 2015, Cindy Gordon, PhD, LPC, a psychotherapist and art therapist, faced a recurrence of breast cancer, navigating treatments, medical appointments, and the challenges of a new normal. During chemotherapy, she turned to collage-making and self-portrait photography, guided by Spanish photographer Cristina Nunez, as a way to process her illness, emotions, and changing appearance. Two of these self-portraits—Doug and Me and Mr. Darcy and Me—reflect the love and support she received from her husband and animals. Doug, with his joyful spirit, reminded her to cherish the present, while Mr. Darcy, a rescue horse, sensed her illness with both affection and concern. Now, as an art therapist, Gordon helps others facing life-threatening illnesses, witnessing how fear and grief can lead to profound moments of clarity, love, and resilience.
A retired librarian, Ellen is a certified Animal Assisted Intervention Specialist and dog trainer, and a long-time therapy dog volunteer and workshop instructor with Dog BONES: Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts, currently making visits to an elementary school with Leo, one of her two Golden Retrievers. Ellen is the author of a forthcoming memoir, The Ten Perfections: Spiritual Lessons from a Life with Dogs, and shares essays on substack, including reflections on the transformative gift of connection with dogs.
Substack piece
A tale of loving and unifying connection through the sharing of therapy dog trading cards for an elementary school student's project.
https://ellenfinnie.substack.com/p/love-across-the-land
The Ten Perfections: Spiritual Lessons from a Life with Dogs. Pre-order now!
Mad about animals, especially dogs, all her life, Vivienne Lynch creates children's books, educational materials and illustrations to encourage compassion towards each other, all animals and our shared environment. Viv's books aim to encourage a positive human-animal bond while her lesson plans comprise universal tips on mindful dog care and the interconnectedness between human and animal health.
Tikaboo Tales: www.TikabooTales.com
Therapy Dogs E-Jay (left) and Ruby (right) are a key part of the PAWSitive Support Canine Assisted Learning Program, led by Dr. Darlene Chalmers and Dr. Colleen Dell in Canada. This reflexive, education-based program is offered to a diverse group of participants, including those in treatment recovery from substance use challenges. The program emphasizes a bond between participants and therapy dogs. In one forward-thinking exercise, participants choose a key word key to their wellness journey. They then work together with the therapy dogs to create a meaningful painting centred around that word. How they do it is not as messy as one would expect; the painting all happens in a plastic bag! This exercise is fun and engaging for both the participants and therapy dogs, and strengthens participants’ understanding about the supportive connections they can form with animals in their lives.
Follow them @PAWSitiveConnectionsLab (insta, facebook, tiktoc) and also on Facebook @AnnaBelleandSubiesAdventures
Dr. Darlene Chalmers and Dr. Colleen Dell
Meet Estrella Fages! Born in Cádiz, Spain, she moved to Galicia very early on, where she spent her childhood, spending time with the cartoonist, photographer, and designer Suso Peña. Years later, she returned to Galicia to learn digital image processing from Suso Peña.
A resident of Granada, Spain, since 1972, with periods of work in Seville and Costa Rica, she began working professionally in 1983 and was selected to exhibit at the 4th International Comics and Illustration Fair in Barcelona.
Self-taught, she has published more than 200 works with publishers in Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States and has collaborated with institutions such as the University of Granada, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Costa Rica, and the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education. One of the most important exhibition was “We’re Family - Very Important Perros” about the friendly relationship between people and pets.
She’s a dog lover, and now is retired living with Felisa (a Galgo español -“Spanish Greyhound")
Kim Snyder is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, Animal-Assisted Therapy Interventionist, and lead instructor for the Social and Human Services: Animal-Assisted Interactions Program at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC. Trained in Natural Lifemanship Level 1, she is passionate about using animal partnerships and expressive arts to support healing and personal growth.
Check her art out on Instagram!
Cary Brown is a retired university professor whose recent research explores disenfranchised grief following companion animal death. Her journey into watercolor painting helped her discover that painting whimsical dogs and other animals was good for the soul in these troubled times. Cary's companion and muse (Fred the Yorkie) keeps a close eye on the process and gives fair but honest feedback. Her painting is strongly inspired by the professional artists Liz Chaderton, Karen Campbell, and Catherine Rayner. Watercolor is very accessible and low cost, so anyone can enjoy the mental health benefits of it. She encourages you to check out the tutorials on these three artists' Youtube channels and websites. She hopes you, too, will find painting whimsical animals a relaxing and heart-happy way of exploring the human-animal bond.
Colorized post card of Bethlehem NH railroad station with harses and carriages waiting for passengers
Oxen team pulling carriage across the Jackson covered bridge in Jackson NH
Meet Clarissa Palmer! As a professor at Plymouth State University, her work focuses on developmental psychology and human-animal interaction, with a particular emphasis on the impact of animals on youth development through teaching, research, and service.
During the summer and fall of 2024, her sabbatical research centered on the historical documentation of working animals within the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. The primary objective of this project was to compile and curate a photographic archive illustrating the diverse roles of animals in regional labor, encompassing activities such as logging, tourism, and transportation. These curated collections aim to reveal the interconnected narratives of the region, its human inhabitants, and its animal workforce. The accompanying short film presents a representative selection of photographs depicting non-human animals engaged in various forms of labor. These images constitute some of the earliest visual records of working animals in the White Mountains
Check out her work here! https://cmuttley.wixsite.com/working-animals-of-t/portfolio
Dog pulling sled with child at the Sinclair Hotel in Bethlehem NH in 1940's
Meet Tiffany MacNeil! Tiffany brings her love of yoga, music, and the natural world to her work with horses to create a safe, inclusive space for exploration, communication, and mindfulness. Walk Side by Side shares a universal message of loving partnership between animals and humans, inspired by Tiffany’s horse Tango. See more of Tiffany's work here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-macneil/
Kate Neligan is an equine-partnered life/business coach and creator of the Awakening With Equines movement (i.e. certification program, card deck, community, etc.) and Nica Quinn is talented artist that has a gift for depicting the human-animal bond while helping equine entrepreneurs design their brands. Kate was inspired to share the emotional intelligence qualities the horses teach in the AWE card deck and brought Nica in to deliver their radiance.
Check out Kate's work here: www.kateneligan.com/carddeck
Check out Nica's work here: https://nicadrawsnature.com
Meet Jessica Maricevic! Rooted in her deep belief in the healing power of the human-animal bond, Jessica created Empathic Paws to extend her work beyond the canvas and into communities. At EmpathicPaws.com, you’ll find her mission in action: supporting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals through the thoughtful integration of animal-assisted therapies. Empathic Paws is committed to promoting and equitably assisting organizations in both public and private settings—creating connection, comfort, and care, one paw at a time. Visit https://theartsydoc.com/ to learn more!
Brenda Brown is passionate about the love humans possess for their pets while they are on earth and in heaven.
She started Grief About Pets to help us survive life when our pets go to heaven before we do.
Check out more of her work here: www.griefaboutpets.com!
Kathleen Stemler has lived in Nevada since 1986. Her previous careers were in education and the aerospace industry. She now concentrates on the creative arts. Her art is colorful and whimsical, featuring dogs, cats, animals, flowers, scenery, people, and abstract drawings.
Her number one goal with her business has always been "to bring smiles and make people happy". She has expanded her product line from note cards and prints to opening up a Zazzle Store. Her Zazzle products range from canvas art, mugs, pet products, apparel, totes, kitchen towels, magnets, clocks, and much more. She also donates much of her art to animal causes which she is passionate about.
Website: www.kathleensartcreations.com
Zazzle Store: www.zazzle.com/store/kathleenartcreations
“Hope and Faith”
“My Protector”
“Wally the Boston Terrier”
“Rainbow Kitty”
Catherine Rodriguez is a veteran, artist, and lifelong animal lover whose work explores themes of healing, memory, and the human-animal bond. After serving in the Army, Catherine found comfort and purpose in volunteering with her greyhound, Wilbur--a bone cancer survivor who became a certified therapy dog after losing a leg to amputation. As the first tripod in the MUSC Pet Therapy Program, Wilbur joined Catherine in offering support to children and families within the hospital setting. Together, they also volunteered through Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD), visiting libraries, fire departments, and schools to bring connection and comfort to the community.
Catherine's art has been featured in exhibitions such as Journeys Onward at the historic Salmagundi Club in NYC, and her work has received multiple awards for excellence in drawing and reportage. She is particularly drawn to capturing emotional truths through animals--whether wild, working, or simply offering silent companionship. She currently lives in South Carolina, where she continues to create art inspired by the animals who have walked beside her through both light and darkness.
Check out more of her work at www.catrodriguez.net!
Michelle Tinkham is a professional nurse but her heart belongs to non-human animals! She's been a life-long animal advocate, volunteering with wild and domestic rescues and specializing in pet loss grief support.
She works with many different art forms, but recently, she has been working on a series to honor the bond she shared with her soul dog, Maggie. After the loss of Maggie, she became a pet loss grief specialist and later an ordained animal chaplain. She wrote and created all the artwork for her published book and although it’s mostly animal art, it supports the importance of the human-animal bond.
Check out her book here!
Alison (Lisena) Elixavide is a self-taught artist. As the daughter of a nurse‘s assistant and firefighter, both of whom were also artists, she began drawing at an early age. Besides Art, her other passions include horses, psychology, and holistic healing. She is a certified Eagala HS, graduating 2025 from WSU‘s Psychology program, and her artwork can be found at Ranchland Reflections on social media.
Jeanne Zachos works with 2 dogs, Sadie and Billy, both certified therapy dogs. Jeanne and Sadie are also a crisis-response team with HOPE AACR (animal-assisted crisis response), a national volunteer organization dedicated to offering comfort and solace after disasters and tragedies.
Therapy dog info: therapydogs.com | HOPE AACR info: hopeaacr.org
Ken Gorczyca is a painter, veterinarian, and AIDS activist whose work explores nature, cities, animals, and the human-animal bond. His textured acrylic paintings—created with both brush and knife—draw on his experiences in veterinary medicine, activism, and a deep love for the elements. Ken’s art blends bright color, deep shadow, and sculptural backgrounds to highlight animal gestures and the energy of the natural world. He often paints outdoors, grounded directly on the earth, capturing fleeting light and movement in his landscapes.
A UC Davis graduate (1983), Ken founded Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) at the onset of the AIDS pandemic and received the Bustad Award in 2010 for his work in the Human-Animal Bond. He currently provides in-home euthanasia care and teaches in the University of Vermont’s Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula program, alongside his ongoing art practice.
See more of Ken's work here: www.kengorczyca.com
Freya Green, M.A. is a dedicated researcher, program coordinator, and photographer whose work centers on the human-animal interactions, particularly within the context of canine-assisted interventions (CAIs). Originally from Hampshire, England, Freya has been an integral part of the B.A.R.K. (Building Academic Retention through K9s) program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan since 2013. Freya's research interests include the impact of CAIs on student and first-responder wellbeing, the mechanisms through which canine-assisted interventions support mental health, and well-being of working dog-handler teams.
As a photographer, Freya is passionate about capturing the essence of the human-animal connection, using visual storytelling to highlight the therapeutic relationships between therapy dogs and clients. Her images not only document the work of B.A.R.K. but also serve as a powerful medium to advocate for the role of animals in promoting psychological well-being.
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More about the B.A.R.K. program here;
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Freya's Page
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Instagram
Jane Marie Allen Farmer is a retired National Park Service park ranger. She is spending her retirement expanding her work with therapy dogs and horses, creating art, and writing novels. Artistically, she experiments with a multitude of creative media and styles. She has worked with therapy animals since 2002. Often the subject of her artwork, her current therapy dogs, Truman Blue and Bear, are both rescues. Although she used to own horses, she now leads therapy horses and gets her horse-fix at Hope Unbridled Equestrian Program in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Website www.trumanbluemysteries.com
John McBurney, MD, is a retired neurologist who sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2022. He and his rescue Blue Heeler/Australian Cattle Dog, Buddy Boy, completed service dog training at Service Dogs for Veterans (SD44.org) in 2025. His walking cane was fashioned from a downed piece of maple found on one of their many training hikes. This is his first attempt at folk art. He is the co-editor of “Integrative Neurology,” Oxford Academic Press (2020).
He and Buddy Boy are an inseparable team and can be found walking all around Greenville, SC!
Malvika is an Empath, Energy Healer, and an artist (painting and poetry) from India.
Instagram @malvikavazalwar
Born and raised in Hawai'i, Lauren has been tattooing for six years, starting at the age of 19. She specializes in delicate fine-line and ornamental tattoos at Alpha Omega studios in Kakaako.
Instagram : @inkedbylauren
