Kat Swan, a Tucson artist who paints pet portraits, is using her work to help find homes for adaptable rescue dogs.
Swan has been passionate about rescue dogs for years, having owned three herself, but said her journey as an artist started just a year and a half ago, following her father’s passing.
“We did a memorial for him on this place called Church Island in New Hampshire,” she said. “The trees were beautiful, and I was like, ‘I either have to get a tattoo or I need to paint this.’”
That was when Swan, who had never considered herself an artist, picked up a brush and began to paint. She taught herself how to draw and paint from scratch, developing her skills largely through Pinterest and YouTube tutorials, and her confidence as an artist quickly grew.
Kat Swan works on a portrait of Boomer, a dog up for adoption at Pima Animal Care Center, inside The National, 98 E. Congress St. in Tucson, Ariz. on June 11, 2025. Swan, who only started painting last year, paints portraits of older dogs at PACC who don’t often get adopted.
“I was trying to figure out what I wanted to paint. Was it more 18 and older stuff, or was it more landscape, whatever,” Swan said. “Then in January, my dog passed. She was this beautiful brindle, and I couldn’t believe I’d never painted something with her beautiful coat, so I painted my first portrait.”
That portrait of her beloved dog Mira remains the only work that Swan has left unfinished, but it sparked what has become a calling for Swan: painting adoptable rescue dogs to find them their forever homes.
“She was a rescue, and then my other two dogs are rescues. So I thought ‘how can I give back? How can I paint more? How can I find more models?’ So I reached out to PACC.”
Kayleigh Murdock, the public information officer for Pima Animal Care Center, said that with the shelter far over capacity, they were more than happy to accept the partnership to bring more attention to their animals.
“Today, we have 548 dogs in our shelter. That is about 100 dogs past what we consider critical capacity,” Murdock said. “So that means that we are beyond full. We have dogs living in offices and lobbies and, two, three, four to a kennel.”
PACC has partnered with many volunteer artists like Swan in the past to incentivize adoptions.
“It’s not necessarily a new thing for us, but definitely something that’s very appreciated and helps get additional eyes on the dogs,” Murdock said.
So far, Swan has painted portraits for at least 10 rescue dogs from PACC and other rescue organizations, in efforts to raise awareness for the shelters, and most importantly, for the pets that need homes. And it seems her work has made some positive impacts.
“I did a dog for PACC and I think it was like a day before 300 days (in the shelter for that dog), and someone saw my reel on the portrait, and went in immediately and adopted it,” Swan said. “That made me so happy.”
Murdock praised Swan’s promotion of her work and her cause.
“One of the things that is new about this partnership, compared to how we’ve done it in the past with other artists, is that Kat is really doing some awesome stuff working with local coffee shops and other areas, to display the pets and get some new eyes on them,” Murdock said. “Previously, we’ve displayed the portraits in the shelter, which is also awesome and helps get eyes on the dogs, but this is kind of helping us open it up to a community that we’re not already reaching.”
Kat Swan works on a portrait of Boomer, a dog up for adoption at Pima Animal Care Center, inside The National, 98 E. Congress St. in Tucson, Ariz. on June 11, 2025. Swan, who only started painting last year, paints portraits of older dogs at PACC who don’t often get adopted.
Over the last couple of months, Swan has turned several local coffee spots including Sonoran House, The National and Cartel into her personal studios; inviting the public into her work, and cultivating community support for her initiative.
One of her paintings, a portrait of an adoptable dog named Harley, is currently hanging on display at Sonoran House, waiting to go to Harley’s future home with her.
“It has been amazing,” Swan said. “I’m creating this ecosystem to hopefully reduce the number of dogs at PACC and hopefully engage the community. It’s something that’s very impactful.”
As her initiative has gained more attention, Swan said more opportunities have opened up for her.
“After Sonoran House posted my stuff, a doctor’s office reached out to me and said, ‘hey, how do we get an adoptable dog on our wall?’” Swan said. “So it’s been lovely, these different foundations that reach out to me.”
Swan was also approached by Bark and Berry, a local dog ice cream parlor, to host a paint and sip event, which will be held on July 24.
As for the future of her portrait project, Swan said she will keep painting rescues for as long as she is needed.
“In one year, I want to do an exhibit where I pick up all the (portraits) that I’ve painted for adoption, and then underneath have how soon after were they adopted, are they still for adoption, and I’d love for PACC to then bring in adoptable dogs during the exhibit,” Swan said. “That’s my goal. To have 52 portraits, and then updated stories.”
While Swan’s portraits aim to change the lives of shelter dogs awaiting permanent homes, she has also been changed for the better.
“I’ve never been more fulfilled in my life, and it’s been absolutely beautiful,” she said. “I just truly appreciate the support in this endeavor to get more dogs adopted.”
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