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I have always been fascinated by the rolls of skin on a shar-pei, and jumped at the opportunity to paint Raisin. Her fawn coloring with darker points (forgive me if I’m not using the correct term!) lent itself to all sorts of colors – blues, purples, magenta, orange, pink, and even green. I put them all in there. Just because I could.

That’s called artistic license. Sometimes that means painting something completely differently than how the rest of the world views it. Sometimes that means exaggerating what I do see (which often, I won’t kid you, nobody else sees).

I’ve always seen purples and pinks where others just saw red. I think that goes back to my early and terribly nearsighted childhood. When I got my first pair of glasses at 7 years of age, I remember being absolutely amazed at the foliage on trees. They were not just that blurry and familiar green-gray shape, but slivers of dancing golds, yellows, chartreuse, olives, apple greens – I could go on and on. I remember the absolute joy I found those first few 4-eyed months as I discovered the most amazing hues that had been there all along.

Maybe that’s why I am an artist.

“Raisin (Shar-Pei Study),” 8x8 square, acrylic dog portrait on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!!). And to anyone who recognizes Raisin, SHHH!! She’s a birthday gift for Dad.

Finally, my apologies to Coco’s family – yesterday I had a senior moment when claiming I hadn’t yet painted a llaso. Thankfully they put me straight. J

Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these portraits with your friends and family (welcome to all our new readers!),
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web

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