It’s always fascinating to find out what people do for a living, especially when you find an entrepreneur with a passion. Last week while taking care of a puppy in a Duke Street apartment, I was introduced to Elizabeth Richter and her 13-year-old companion, Max.

Max is an Old English Sheepdog that Elizabeth rescued from the Alexandria Animal Shelter when Max was 11 months old. Our conversation started with dogs but quickly moved to painting.

If you don’t know Elizabeth and Max from their days on Oronoco Street or playtime at Founders Park, you might have come across her work over the years at the Torpedo Factory, or perhaps the art festival on King Street. As a 12-year resident of Alexandria, she has played part in many of the local juried art shows. In fact, she has established a bunch of local collectors of her work in Northern Virginia and D.C.

Elizabeth began her award-winning career in photojournalism decades ago working for U.S. News & World Report and later freelancing for The Associated Press and The Washington Post, but always looking towards fine art. Her style is self-defined as Photo Impressionism but she works in oil and watercolor, too. Her new paintings range from $300 to $1,700.

I was most interested to come across her new product line of pet portraits.  They were so sweet, in fact, that I had one done of my bulldog, Walter. Elizabeth works from your photographs of your dog. She finds that pet owners can often capture their dog best in their natural state, but if you’re not enamored with any of your current photos, she can set up a photo session for an additional charge. The pet portraits are finished on an 8x8 gallery wrap canvas and are perfect for setting on a mantle or hanging on the wall. Her work is available at For Pet's Sake on Quaker Lane and a pet-lover can place an order for an original work there. These pet portraits begin at $135.

To see more of her work, including some historic locations in Old Town, visit her website at www.elizabethrichter.com.