Just a Buck, Change Their Luck™ Campaign Fundraiser: A Historical Retrospect

Spring 2008 campaign (Canada only)

The artwork for this campaign, created and donated by Ron Berg is titled “PetSmart Charities Friends.” Berg featured the dog Keats, who was adopted by a friend off the euthanasia list, and Jayvyn, a now-adopted shelter cat. Berg is a Canadian artist residing in Hyde Park, Toronto with his wife and two grown children. He enjoys creating digital art illustrations with whimsical elements and has a unique, playful style. His work includes children’s book illustrations and work for Nestle’s® Purina® and various food labels.

To create these whimsical pet renderings for Just A Buck, Change Their Luck, Berg used photographs which he then merged and worked over with digital illustrations and design techniques. Originally, Berg’s favorite medium was watercolors; now he prefers a combination of digital art and photography to create his unique style. He believes that these mediums allow him to be more adventurous and experimental.

Berg is a graduate of Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario and Ontario College of Art in Toronto. To see more of Ron’s work, visit http://www.bergillustration.com

Fall 2008 campaign (U.S. and Canada)

$1,858,860 Raised to support U.S. groups

$135,784 Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured “Bright Angels,” the colorful artwork by Mitch Henderson. Henderson’s  paintings are admired far and wide by his growing base of collectors.  He loves to delve into the endless combinations of color that he uses to create his paintings.   "My mission is to capture the energy of the moment on canvas by using bold spontaneous brush strokes and vibrant color,” explained Henderson. In 2000, Mitch moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., from Pittsburgh to pursue his career in art.  He is exclusively represented in Arizona by Wilde Meyer Gallery (www.wildemeyer.com).  Many of his “pet models” come from the AAWL (Arizona Animal Welfare League), located in Phoenix. "I strive to make paintings a place for the viewer to escape, where they can lose themselves in the images they see on canvas,” Henderson said.

Spring 2008 campaign (Canada only)

$142,902 Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured the collectible artwork “Pickles and Coffee,” designed by Canadian artist Julie Deans Julie. Deans is a self taught Canadian artist who began drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She has been drawing and painting for more than 20 years, currently utilizing her skills in custom pet portraits and animal art. Julie is an honors graduate from the Desktop Publishing program at Mohawk College. There she was able to expand upon her computer skills and learn an abundance of different illustration methods including pen and ink, colored pencil, gouache, marker, airbrush and more. Julie's passion for animals is obvious in her work and in the time she spends helping rescue organizations and shelters. Julie's work can be seen on her website at www.juliesillustration.com. She currently resides in Milton, Ontario with her husband, two dogs, and many, many fish.

Fall 2007 campaign (U.S. and Canada)

$1,405,564 (USD) Raised to support U.S. groups

$112,540 (CAD) Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured the artwork of Georg Williams entitled "Man's Best Friends ".  Williams grew up in Houma, an oilfield boomtown in southern Louisiana. He began painting at a young age and selling his portraits when he was 15.  Following a tour in the army, Williams studied art at Nicholls State University and later opened galleries in Houma and New Orleans and taught art classes. As an instructor, he stressed that “art cannot be handed over by teachers but must be found by the students themselves.”  After years of commissioned photo realism portraits, Williams has returned to the simpler, and more animated caricatured style of his youth. With great success, he has been able to pursue his passion full time and enjoys the delight his clients get from his work.

Spring 2007 campaign (Canada only)

$111,586 (CAD) Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured the artwork "Love of a Lifetime" created by Frank Harris. Harris has been painting and illustrating for over 20 years.  His illustrations have been commissioned by many publications including Harvard Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine, The Westinghouse Corporation and, of course, PetSmart Charities.  A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, his vibrant artwork juxtaposes subjects, colors and backgrounds creating an image that grabs the audience’s attention.  Frank works in two very different styles that can be seen at his website: www.frankharris.com.  He accepts private commissions as well.

Fall 2006 campaign (U.S. and Canada)

$1,237,926 (USD) Raised to support U.S. groups

$82,211 (CAD) Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured the artwork “Precious Rescues” created by Judy Fleenor . The work depicts actual rescued pets, Desiree and Jimmy, from The Seal Beach Animal Shelter in California. After discovering the joy of creating larger-than-life artwork, Fleenor of Huntington Beach, CA, made a career out of it. Fleenor and friend, Kinda Hibrawi, founded mypopart.com to create personalized and affordable artwork. Fleenor and Hibrawi also use their talents to raise money and awareness for the millions of animals that are neglected and abandoned each year. Fleenor uses people’s favorite photographs of their animals, family or friends and digitally paints one-of-a-kind pieces. Fleenor’s style runs the gamut from contemporary Andy Warhol to Vintage Shabby Chic.

Spring 2006 campaign (U.S. and Canada)

$1,229,530 (USD) Raised to support U.S. groups

$86,156 (CAD) Raised to support Canadian groups

This campaign featured the artwork “Country Dog, City Cat ” created by Gregg Valley.  A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Valley ’s work is created digitally with a technique that he calls “faceting”. He takes each shape and cuts it up into many smaller shapes which are then individually colored. This unique style lends itself to a wide variety of national clients, including McDonalds, Pepsi and National Geographic. Gregg currently lives in McMurray, Pennsylvania with his wife, Cathie, sons Zak and Jake, cat Athena, iguana Iggy, parakeets Paul and Ringo and lots of fish and other assorted creatures.