About Me

My name is Alexandra Schmeling and I am a watercolor painter living in Arlington, Virginia just outside of DC. I specialize in custom watercolor pet portraits and sell my work in stores across the country as well as locally in the DC area. You can also find me popping up at local events and art shows with my tent. My work has been exhibited at the galleries at Shop Made in DC, SHE:DC, Del Ray Artisans, the Art League in Alexandria, and more. I also offer watercolor classes!

I have been doing art since I was tiny and dabbled in all media. I studied photography at Yale and started using watercolor pencils in graduate school to illustrate some old photos I had taken. I graduated to paints and now my artistic medium is exclusively watercolor!

I offer original watercolor paintings of local scenes from around DC as well as from my travels. France tends to show up a lot in my work! I am most known for my custom pet and house portraits. My business actually got its start creating pet portraits as a fundraiser for local animal shelters. Who doesn’t want to spend their time looking at cute animals while helping out our furry friends? A couple hundred pet portraits later, I am still painting pet portraits, this time as a small business. I feel so honored to capture your pet in art. Nothing touches me quite so much as when a customer commissions a portrait of a beloved pet who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

I love working with local organizations and charities and have collaborated with Alexandria Living Magazine, Made in ALX, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation to raise money mostly for homeless animals.

Have an idea for a commissioned piece of art, or just want to say hello? I would love to hear from you. Send me a note through my contact form or email me at hello@alexandraschmeling. Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon!