Young Boy Paints Animal Portraits to Raise Shelter Donations

A talented Russian boy named Pavel Abramov has been using his painting skills for the greater good: to gather donations for the animal shelters located in his hometown, Nizhny Novgorod. Although he’s only 9 years old, his love of animals and his artistic talents are already powerful enough to greatly benefit many animals in need. Today, the volunteer-run project he started with the help of his mother has reached many pet owners and resulted in plenty of much-needed donations.

His Labor of Love

Pavel started this project a couple of years ago, right after his beloved dog passed away. To honor his memory, he began painting amazing animal portraits. Soon enough, he began accepting commissions online from pet owners who wanted to have portraits of their pets drawn. As payment, Pavel would ask them to donate food and other necessities to animal shelters in the area. He and his mother, Ekaterina Bolshakova, volunteer at the only animal shelter of a small town called Arzamas, and together they run this project which they named “Good Paintbrush”.

How His Work Benefits Local Shelters

Since Pavel’s portraits can be seen on their social media page called “What is a Little Volunteer Capable Of?” the duo has been accepting commissions and donations from many different countries, including the US, Spain, and Germany. In the two years that the project has been active thus far, Pavel has received over 100 commissions, which have generated significant donations to a number of shelters. The Good Paintbrush is now looking into finding financial support in order to improve the international commission process and find more ways to better help animal shelters in their area.

It’s truly inspiring and heartwarming that this young boy has so much love for animals and has found a way to help so many of them through the benefits of his art. Be sure to find Pavel’s Instagram page and marvel at more of his artwork!