Artist Spotlight: Katrina Wheaton and the Art That Grew From Greyhounds

Artist Spotlight: Katrina Wheaton and the Art That Grew From Greyhounds

If you spend any time around the Hound-Tees pack, you know that hounds have a funny way of shaping our lives. Sometimes they just change your routine. Sometimes they change your whole creative direction. For this Community Spotlight, we caught up with a Mildura-based artist and teacher whose journey into art became deeply intertwined with two very special greyhounds.

She shares her life with Amy and Lara, and if you ask us, they are very clearly running the household.

Life with Amy and Lara

Home is Mildura, shared with two beautiful greyhounds, Amy (10) and Lara (7).

Amy arrived first, coming home at two years old. Although she came from the racing industry, she never actually raced. That feels entirely deliberate on her part. Amy has always carried herself with a quiet confidence and a touch of aloof elegance. Her striking white face turns heads wherever she goes. In her younger years she was an elite zoomie spinner, but these days she is more about slow strolls, strategic naps, and maintaining her status as household royalty.

Lara joined the family at six and settled in immediately, as if she had always belonged there. From day one, she did not put a paw wrong. Gratitude radiated from her from the moment she arrived. Lara is deeply affectionate, forever leaning in for pats and gently offering a paw when she thinks more love is required. Amy and Lara adore each other, as long as everyone remembers that Amy is, without question, the Queen.

Falling for sighthounds

The introduction to sighthounds came through a simple suggestion. Her son wanted a dog, and a friend mentioned greyhounds. After researching the breed, it quickly became clear that they offered everything you could want in a companion. Calm, gentle, affectionate, and quietly hilarious. Adopting a greyhound turned out to be one of the best decisions ever made.

How art entered the picture

Creativity was always there, but it did not start with drawing. As a child, the pull was toward craft and making things by hand. Art took on a stronger role later in life while working as a school teacher and teaching art to students.

Everything shifted after adopting Amy. She became an unexpected muse and a constant source of inspiration. That was the moment when creating art stopped being something taught and started being something deeply personal. Skills were refined, confidence grew, and art became an essential part of everyday life.

Favourite tools and textures

Mixed media is a favourite approach, but oil pastel stands out above the rest. The vibrancy, richness, and texture are impossible to resist and perfectly suited to capturing hound personality.

A piece that means the most

There is one artwork that always brings a smile. An oil painting titled Amy painting Amy. The irony is impossible to ignore and that is exactly why it feels so special. Prints of this piece are available through Hound-Tees, letting Amy’s artistic legacy live on in homes far and wide.

Where to find the artwork

A personal website is in the works, but for now you can connect through @amys_art_class and purchase artworks directly via Hound-Tees.

Creating beyond hounds

While greyhounds remain a constant muse, still life has long been a favourite subject. Lately there has also been a growing desire to explore more human portraiture and see where that creative path leads.

Balancing art and teaching

Alongside creating, there is a full-time role as a visual arts and technology teacher, working with both primary and secondary students. Teaching and creating continue to feed into one another in the best possible way.

Creative inspiration

Nature provides endless inspiration, but so does spending time looking at art in all its forms. The more art that is absorbed, the more ideas begin to form.

If the hounds had their say

If Amy were offering an art critique, it would likely start with a single question. Did you really capture my best angle? Lara, ever the people pleaser, would love everything immediately and then offer a paw in approval.

Quickfire with the artist

  • Coffee always beats tea
  • Evening over morning
  • Savoury every time
  • Hounds over humans
  • Urban living
  • Prints instead of stripes
  • Pencil before paintbrush
  • Snoot and ears equally
  • A balance of chaos and calm
  • Netflix wins over a nature walk
Check out Love. Art. Hound.