Carol Luz Art – Jack Russell Terriers in Action

Have you ever seen dogs that snowboard, drive or even fly a plane? Carol Luz, an artist and East End native, captures many imaginative yet funny moments of her dogs, Judy and Elroy, who inspire much of her original work. Luz is a two-time winner of the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Annual Mary O. Fritchie Summer Poster contest. Her painting ‘Surfer Dogs’ won last year, and ‘A Day in the Life in WHB’ won this year. Both feature her pups. Luz has also been published on the cover of Dan’s Papers in the September and December 2017 issues.

Luz was born in Southampton, New York and attended Westhampton Beach High School. She graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology where she earned a degree in advertising design and graphic design. She currently works at Hearst Magazines in New York City as an Editorial Business Director for Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country Magazines. She now lives in Lake Carmel, New York with her husband Nelson and two Jack Russell Terriers. Luz paints in her free time, usually on the weekends.

Art artist carol luz jack russel dogs dog portrait oil canvas artwork pets — “Hitchhiking Chihuahua”

Westhampton Beach Library, Katonah Library, Katonah Art Center, Arts on The Lake in Goldens Bridge, New York and Hampton House in Westhampton Beach have all shown Luz’ original work.

Luz said she has been drawing since she was holding a pencil. She began painting again a few years ago and took several classes at the Katonah Art Center. Luz mostly works using oils, sometimes watercolors. She sells prints of her paintings as well as holiday cards on her website.

She said she’s most inspired by her dogs Judy and Elroy, who are from the same litter and were named after the brother and sister in The Jetsons, a 1960s animated sitcom.

“I love putting them in different unexpected scenarios having a fun time. They are such characters. It’s fun to capture that in my paintings,” Luz said.

“My work is aimed to make people smile and laugh. Be happy.” – Carol Luz

Luz described how she first began painting her dogs, which all began with placing Elroy in a red tube, being tossed around by the ocean waves.

“I started to paint an ocean scene with a big wave in it. I thought it would be very funny to have Elroy wear a red inner tube being tossed around in the wave. Ears flapping. Paws dangling. Elroy is the stockier of my two dogs. He looks tough but is a complete baby. He needs to wear some kind of floating device when he is in the water, if he goes into the water. Judy, on the other hand, is a little daredevil. She’s not afraid of anything. I painted her surfing in the ocean wearing goggles. And she is the one who always drives in my paintings.”

She is currently working on a piece where Judy and Elroy are zooming through space in a Jetson’s spaceship – Judy is driving of course.

However, Judy and Elroy are not included of all of Luz’ work. She also has paintings of cows, landscapes, and people. You can find her work on her website and at Hampton House in Westhampton Beach. Posters from previous art shows can still be purchased at the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce. She will be appearing at local art shows in the area during this summer. She can be contacted at carol@carolluzart.com.