For anyone who’s ever been told, “You’ll never make a living doing that”. Or, “You need something with more stability”, this story’s for you.
I initially met Stephen Henry last fall when his daughter hired me to do a session as a gift for her father, Stephen and his dog, Nacho. I already knew he was an incredibly talented, renowned artist with more awards and accolades than I can list because it would be the majority of this post, but I had no idea he did pet portraits until I asked for recommendations for my monthly feature.

His daughter clued me in and I requested to meet with him in his studio at The Monarch in Ogden to see him work and ask some questions. He was up for it and even had his best good friend Nacho with him making sure his work was up to snuff.



Naturally, one of the greatest joys in my life is hearing the stories of how animals and their people end up finding each other in this crazy world. Stephen and Nacho’s story was no exception.


I met up with Stephen and Nacho on a Saturday, which happens to be the day of the week The Monarch holds a gourmet market featuring pickled foods, cured meats, coffee, olives and oils, breads, cheeses, and more. Following along with Stephen and Nacho as they weaved their way past the various vendors, I felt a bit like a celebrity couple’s entourage. Each place they stopped they were greeted with smiles and hello’s and of course Nacho was the main attraction getting love and pets from everyone. When it was time to move on, Stephen would tell Nacho, “C’mon buddy” and Nacho would trot up beside him back to the studio.
Walking behind them, I could almost picture the two of them, side by side, heading off into a wild west sunset together, best good friends forever.

If you’d like to see more of Stephen’s amazing work or get more information about his pet portraits, he can be found at Cow Creek Studio
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