One Salem resident and painter of man and beast claims to be an introvert, at her best working out of the front room of her home.

However, for two days in June, Rachael Rossman was given an opportunity to break out of her shell and rub elbows with Hollywood stars and starlets during one of the biggest movie awards celebrations on television.

On June 4 and 5, Rossman presented her work to throngs of celebrity pet lovers during the leadup to the MTV Movie Awards. While out of her element, Rossman and her sister found themselves being interviewed for radio and television and learning how to carry casual conversations with Frankie Muniz, Molly Ringwald, Max Ryan, and others.

It started with a random phone call in May.

“GBK Productions out of West Hollywood contacted me,” she said. “They had seen a review of my work in a blog called Dog Art Today and were interested in working with me in a gift lounge."

“I was surprised and a little skeptical I suppose,” she admitted. “Then I thought, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Nobody shows up.”

The focus was a pet lounge on the roof of the London West Hollywood hotel where celebrities could bring their pets for grooming and photography and receive free products from vendors. Rossman offered a discount for her paintings. She said she received many compliments because she offered a product tailored to each person, rather than giving them a generic sample product.

Her paintings are recreations of loved ones and pets, reproduced from photographs, but presented with her talent and the person or pet’s personality. She interviews each client to learn more about her subject and find those tidbits of character that makes each one unique.

One such pooch was Chickenbone Jones, a Chihuahua, pug, dachshund mix named by a rapper. She learned the “chugweenie” recovered from paralysis and was nearly featured on a wine bottle, all elements she could incorporate into her work.

“I have people tell me what they think is most important,” Rossman said.

“One woman wanted to make sure I included her dog’s crooked teeth.”

She paints with watercolor on Yupo synthetic canvas. Because the canvas does not suck up as much water as traditional canvases, the colors tend to be more vibrant and produce a wide variety of textures, she noted.

While she knew her clients from around the world enjoyed her work, presenting it to the rich and famous in a gift lounge added a new challenge artistically and financially. Once customers learned she needed the cash to go, orders began to fly in. She quickly learned how to create an elegant and attractive booth on a limited income. With much-needed help from her sister in Arizona, the pair were able to buy everything they needed the night before.

“I had a vision for what I wanted it to be,” she said. “I reached out to friends to help with banner design and gift certificate design. However, the focus was always on the art.”

After returning home to Salem, it was business as usual with two kids, stacks of laundry, Little League and filling backlogged orders. However, with a stack of photos and many memories, she said it was an experience she hopes to have again.

Since her Hollywood debut, Rossman has been asked to donate portraits for major fundraisers and has received orders from several people she met. She said the exposure was something she could never have dreamed of getting on her own and is excited about what the future has in store for her.

“I would love to be able to do this full time,” she said. “It’s hard to predict how far it’s going to go. I would love it if this would just keep going.”

Editor's note: This story differs slightly from printed version.