About me
My name is a Javier Aguilera and i am a self-taught figurative artist based in the north of Spain.
For as long as I can remember, my love for animals has led me to want to learn everything about them, devouring documentaries and nature books where I was fascinated by their illustrations.
My professional career began in the field of graphic design and illustration, but I quickly changed everything to dedicate myself in a self-taught way to my great passion: sculpture.
It was as a result of 2012, when my beloved German shepherd Lia entered my life that everything changed. I started drawing her daily, making pencil sketches of her when she rested, hence the name of my brand: Graphite shepherds. I continued to portray her, on our mountain getaways or playing on the beach, she inspired me to start working professionally as a pet portraitist.
My sculptures and illustrations may stand out at first for their realism but they contain much more than what is apparently seen, I always try to reflect the soul of the animal portrayed. The conversations with clients and the stories they tell me are just as important as the photographs and videos they send me. Today my works are found all over the world from Canada, to Australia, through Japan, Russia, Belgium, Germany and Spain, among many others.