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“Louisiana SPCA #1440,” 6x8, dog tag still life painting in acrylic on canvasboard, $120. (Myra, if you are reading this, please check in with me – you have the right of first refusal, but I do not have an email address for you!) Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .
SOLD.

This is the second installment in The Dog Tag Series. I set it up this afternoon, not wanting to clean my brushes after finishing Kizzy’s dog-a-day portrait, and not having enough time before school busses arrived to get into something larger.

I was immediately drawn to this tag. The bright green color, the rusted links of chain, the bold numbers. After reading the note that accompanied the tag, I learned that Ginger, or the original #1440, led a long and happy life. But I liked that the viewer can bring their own interpretation to the piece.

There is a lot of soft, beautiful color in here. I tried to model the chain and tag with color temperature changes, and not just shifts in value. The biggest challenge was the diffused flow of daylight in the studio today – it’s great for even illumination of my palette and easel, but it did not create a bold shadow off the still life, which led to lots of puddling glazes around the links. I guess those softer edges add an aura of hope to the piece, so all is not lost.

Even after posting only two dog tags, I have already learned quite a bit about painting from life. And about setting up a still life properly. After I invest in a clip-on light, I’ll be able to create pieces with more dramatic light and shadows. Perhaps next week…….

Stay tuned!
Thanks as always,
Kim

PS Tags, collars, and other dog ephemera are welcome submissions for this project. Please include any contact information, as well as a means of returning your treasures (self-addressed stamped envelopes). Materials can be sent to 346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362. Thank you in advance for sharing.



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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