If you are a dog and cat lover, as I am, you have probably wished at some point in your life that you could paint your pets and have that keepsake even after they are gone. Well, now you can learn to do it, thanks to “Paint Your Pet,” a course offered by Mt. Airy Learning Tree (MALT) on Oct. 24 and 31 with instructor Sondra Rosenberg, a long-time Mt. Airy resident, artist and art therapist.

“This will be my fifth time offering ‘Paint Your Pet’ through MALT,” Rosenberg told the Local last week. “It is very much fun and meaningful. Some families attend together, and many use the class as a part of their grieving process by honoring beloved pets who are no longer with us.”

Rosenberg has lived in Mt. Airy for 17 years but grew up on the Main Line and graduated from Friends Central School. She studied visual art at Oberlin College and earned her M.A. in art therapy at New York University.

After her schooling, Rosenberg worked as an art therapist from 2005 to 2021 at the Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders in Roxborough, the first residential center in the country for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other body image disorders, founded more than 40 years ago.

Rosenberg is not currently practicing as an art therapist in any clinical settings, although she wrote a book called “The Art of Recovery” about eating disorders and the recovery process, as seen through the lens of art created by patients. It was based on the work she did at the Renfrew Center. The book is currently on submission by Rosenberg’s literary agent, and she is hoping to find a home for it with a publisher soon. She finished the book in 2022 and was turned down by more than 100 literary agents before finally being accepted by an agent in Vancouver. (This experience is not unusual for first-time authors.).

Rosenberg, who has done 27 pet portraits since she began them in 2021, has found that house portraits remain her most requested commissions. She has done 62 to date, mostly private residencies but also a few businesses, restaurants, institutions, schools and churches.

During the pandemic, Rosenberg’s father asked her to paint a watercolor portrait of his house. “I enjoyed doing that,” she said, “so I put a notice on the Mt. Airy Nextdoor website offering free house portraits as proof of concept. I got many replies and did three. Then I started charging and got customers from Instagram and Facebook, especially around holiday time.

“Then someone asked me to do a pet portrait, and I just love doing them. I bring my therapist background to them. I love meeting with the people and hearing their stories because I love animals. Someone even ordered a painting of a beloved tree that had been cut down.”

One of her former MALT students, Katie McKelvey, told the Local, “This was such a fun class, challenging but also rewarding. Great for all ages. I would recommend this to everyone — and already have.”

Another former student, Julia Paddison, commented, “I loved painting my pet! The technique was easy to follow, and the finished product turned out great. Sondra’s classes are the best!”

Rosenberg also leads a series of workshops for students at Jefferson Medical School called “Creative Approaches to Self-Care” as part of their “Asano” program, which gives credit to students for participating in arts and humanities activities throughout the academic year. The Mt. Airy art teacher has also been leading solstice and equinox-themed art workshops at the Abington Art Center.

In addition to her “Paint Your Pet” classes, Rosenberg will be teaching “Creative Expression Through Art” for MALT in four sessions from Nov. 6 to Dec. 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalists of Mt. Airy, 6900 Stenton Ave.

“This is more of a ‘healing arts’ class,” she said, “where the emphasis is more on using art as a tool of expression rather than learning a specific art skill, like pet portraiture.”

Rosenberg’s husband, Carl, teaches instrumental music at Friends Central School, and their son, Nolan, 15, is a 10th grade student at Friends Central.

“I love Mt. Airy,” Rosenberg said. “I love the values, the great people, the beautiful trees, the co-op and the houses.”

For more information, visit sondrarosenberg.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.