About the artist

About the artist: Carin Steen


Ever since I was little, I’ve been obsessed with animals and painting. Combining those two passions into a career as a pet portrait artist seemed the natural thing to do. Strangely enough, it took me a while to get there.

I left my hometown Amsterdam, Holland, in my twenties for a trip to Honduras, unbeknownst that a two-month stay would stretch out into seventeen whole years. A tiny village in Western Honduras is where several of my dreams came true: I got to have several cats and dogs and I became a professional artist. With tremendous joy, I started an art project for children and painted anything I could lay my hands on, from the tiniest objects to huge community murals.

In 2014 I moved to Antigua, Guatemala, where I got involved with a local NGO called Unidos para los Animales. I started volunteering at sterilization clinics and fostering puppies. The latter turned out to be very addictive and I ended up fostering almost forty dogs. Many of them were rescued from horrific scenarios and in a terrible shape. It was always greatly satisfying to see those emaciated fearful pups transform in healthy and happy dogs, adopted into loving families. Much of my life was about dogs at the time, so it was only logical that they became my subject matter. One dog portrait for a friend led to another and I started to get commissions for custom made pet paintings.

Nowadays, my home base is the North of Spain, but with one foot still in Guatemala and with frequent trips to Holland (if circumstances permit it). I love calling these three countries “home”, although the drawback of dividing my time between countries, is that I can’t have a pet. Thankfully, wherever I go, I’m always surrounded by many canine and feline friends.

Whether in Europe or Central America, I always carry my art supplies with me and my mobile studio is always open for business. So wherever I am, I’m always ready to paint you your beloved pet!

For more information, quotes or commissions, please contact me at info@carinsteen.com.

Carin Steen

2024