Worked in Hollywood

In addition she was a script reader for Hawn/Sylbert Movie Co. and assistant to producers Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

It was an eye-opening experience, she said. "It was crazy. I had 15-hour days and no personal life. I would try to get away to San Francisco and whenever I could, get up to the wine country. I loved it up here."

Her last job in Hollywood was with movie and television producer John Wells, the man behind "ER" and "West Wing."

"I was in one of those meetings thinking, 'I'm sitting on the wrong side of the fence here. This is not me,''' she recalled. "I had no life. I was turning 30 and I couldn't have a dog because I was never home. So I quit."

And found a four-legged pal named Carl, a chunky black lab with a strong social sense.



Set up a studio

With Carl -- and the dogs of her childhood, Snoopy, Rocky, Dundee the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and numerous strays -- in mind, Hullverson considered becoming a pet portrait painter. She set up a small studio in Los Angeles while she did research and learned that Denver was not only the dog capital of the U.S., it had more people with dogs and disposable incomes than any other state.

She moved to Denver and had a great run, she said, but it never seemed like home. "California was my home and I just never felt comfortable in Denver."

Hullverson had a choice; go home to St. Louis, go back to Los Angeles, or head to the Napa Valley where she had friends, including one with a small winery in St. Helena -- and a barn.


Far flung clients

The barn won, and Hullverson moved to the valley a year and a half ago and set up a studio on Silverado Trail. When the winery was sold, she moved into town and continued to paint up a storm. Her subjects and their owners live in all parts of the world -- London, the Bahamas, New York, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Carmel and the Napa Valley.

Some dogs, like actor Adam Sandler's late English bulldog, Meatball, have attained celebrity status. But it doesn't matter to Hullverson; she gives all her subjects the star treatment.

She starts with a visit to photograph the dog in question. Then she has the owner select the photo that most captures the dog's personality. This is what Hullverson uses as a basis for the painting. She goes back to her studio, gets into her painting garb -- always the same paint-stiffened jeans, shirt and apron -- turns on music, selects a background color for the canvas and begins by painting the dog's eyes.

Sometimes Carl is curled up at her feet. Usually he is out on the porch, dreaming of treats, waiting for squirrels or watching the clouds.




Likes to meet dog

"I love to meet the dog if I can," Hullverson said, as she added a final brush stroke to Sampson's portrait. "If they are local, within a few hours drive, I'll go meet them. That's important. If I can't, then I talk to the owner about the dog's characteristics, what they are like."

Hullverson understands the strong bond between dog and human. She and Carl have participated in animal assisted therapy in Los Angeles and Denver, and she's seen first hand the connection animals make with the ill or the elderly.

"Old people love to have a dog jump on their bed," she said, "even if they didn't have dogs before, or didn't like dogs. In L.A. all the World War II vets loved Carl."

Why this strong attachment? "The obvious is the unconditional love," Hullverson said. "They are always happy to see you. Even if you've failed utterly in your day, your dog still thinks you are great."
 

While there are those who think Hullverson's chosen profession is unusual, she said she loves what she does.

"Doing what I do is very hard because it is so expensive here but I am so lucky. I get to paint dogs and I get to go out and meet people.

"My work is a little solitary sometimes," she added, and laughed, "but I'm so glad I'm not hanging out with George Clooney any more. Not that I really did."

To learn more about Hullverson and see some of her work, visit her Web site at juliehullverson.com.