Don Bloom talks with his hands. He is an artist by nature, and when he describes his projects, his hands unconsciously move, like he’s manipulating the air.

Bloom owns a design company, MAD Group, Inc. (an acronym for Marketing, Advertising and Design), that has operated out of his home office for 15 years. The cornerstone of his work is portraits. His subject matter of choice is animals.

“Through the years, I tended to do portraits of people. [Eventually], I tended to like to do portraits of animals, because people aren’t interesting to draw, you know what I mean?” Bloom says with a laugh. “People have their own egos and they think they look like something [they aren’t]. But if you do a portrait of a dog or a cat and it looks like that dog or cat, the cat’s not going to say it doesn’t like it.

“But most people can look at that [cat portrait] objectively and say, ‘it looks just like my cat,’ and that’s what I try to capture.”

A graduate of the Arts Institute of Chicago, Bloom started his career in package design for Reynolds Aluminum Company, now Alcoa. When they opened a branch in Southern California, Bloom moved west. With the advancement of technology and computerized graphic design, the branch closed down. Bloom started diversify, working on his art while working at a design firm, before launching his own company several years later.

Bloom likes to work in several mediums. He looks at functional items and sees art. He has forayed into metal sculpture, creating pieces that play with light and texture. His home showcases his talents and his appreciation for art. The metal sculptures are used as planters in the garden, as a side table, and in a water feature. He also uses his background in graphic design to make large scale composites, often painting over sections of pictures to play with color and trick the viewers eye.

Bloom’s art expresses his creativity, his sense of humor, and his refreshing approach to life. Much of his work is inspired by the beach, a favorite escape of his for years. Bloom’s success is a testament to his ability to deliver quality work, to create interesting and useful pieces, and to draw inspiration from everything and everyone around him.

Bloom’s portfolio (much of which is viewable on his website) shows his eye for detail. He takes a few photos of his subject to study, and then begins the process of layering the details. He credits a life drawing class taken in school that taught him the discipline. According to Bloom, the more you look at a subject, the more you see.

The result is high quality art that will last a lifetime.

“It’s gratifying when you do something for someone and you can tell they really like it,” Bloom said.

MAD Group, Inc., (626) 441-8131, www.madpet.net.