Kate Tooke · Oil paintings of animals
Animal Paintings with breath and soul
Bay horses, oil on canvas, by Kate Tooke
Anima: breath, spirit, soul
The animals around us are windows to our own souls
Kate Tooke oil paintings begin on her farm in Vernon, British Columbia, where every animal she paints has shared her life. Horses, dogs, cats and, above all, chickens: the humblest beings, painted with the same reverence usually reserved for the wild and the majestic.
For Kate, however, a successful painting goes beyond a technically accurate likeness. It creates a relationship between the one who sees and the one who is seen, an invitation to notice the intricate beauty, complexity and depth we rarely give ourselves time to see.
Meet the artist
Kate Tooke, AFCA
Kate Tooke is an award-winning representational oil painter focused on capturing an intimate connection with her animal subjects. She lives in beautiful Vernon, BC, with her family, dogs, cats, horses and chickens, and paints every day.
After a ten-year break from painting to pursue her own growth, Kate returned with a new passion and maturity. Then, in 2023, she was awarded Associate Signature Status with the Federation of Canadian Artists. Most recently, her 2025 exhibition, Entanglements, at Headbones Gallery in Vernon, explored the complicated, layered relationships between people, animals and the land.
Recognition
Kate Tooke oil paintings, exhibited across Canada and the USA
Awards
- Rooster Tail
First Place, Animalis, Federation of Canadian Artists - Curious Gren
First Place, North Okanagan FCA 2024 Spring Show - Florence the Poser
People’s Choice Award, TNSC Fall Show - Gandalf & Good Boy Banjo
Special Merit Awards, Art & Colour Magazine
Exhibitions
- Entanglements, solo exhibition
Headbones Gallery, Vernon, 2025 - Anima, solo exhibition
Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, 2023 - For the Birds
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, 2023 - International Representational Exhibition
Federation Gallery, Vancouver, 2024
Membership
- Associate Signature Member (AFCA)
Federation of Canadian Artists, since 2023 - Juried into more than 20 Federation of Canadian Artists exhibitions since 2020
- Represented in private collections
“What you love, loves you.”
Kate Tooke
Commissions
Have an animal you love? Let’s paint them.
Kate paints commissioned oil portraits of dogs, cats, horses and farm animals for clients across Canada and beyond. Each commission receives the same care as all Kate Tooke oil paintings. Simply tell her about your animal and she’ll reply personally.
From the studio
Be first to see new paintings
Occasional notes from the farm and the easel, plus first look at new work and upcoming exhibitions.