"Brittany Study (Bud)," 6" square, commissioned pet portrait, acrylic dog painting depicting a brittany spaniel, private collection (THANK YOU!).
When my client first contacted me last summer about painting Bud, she was a little hesitant. Bud was the dog she had grown up with, and finding photos was going to be a chore. COuld i work from old polaroids and other scanned images? of course! She came through with a handful of beautiful, albeit faded, photos, most taken in natural lighting. I was able to paint a portrait for her to give her mother from those. I cannot wait to hear of her family's reaction on Christmas morning, for even after all these years, Bud has a hold of them all.
This has been a week full of rumination on the power of these sweet souls. How they tag our hearts for a lifetime, and leave us in their gentle wake.
My oldest son and I visited the Oakland Pet Adoption Center today to shoot reference photos of adoptable animals for profiling during next weeks' Animal Welfare Week. We walked into Kitty City, a large room where the older cats who have been longer term residents at the shelter are able to stretch their legs and play. We were immediately greeted by the sweetest calico. While the other residents summed us up from their various perches, she popped from the depths of a kitty condo and waltzed right on over, begging for love.
I scooped her up and held her while that purr reverberated through my whole body. She was entirely different than Turtle, yet so very similar. She looked into my eyes and meowed, that distinctive cooing sort of noise that had earned Turtle her name. She rubbed her face into mine, while I held her and thought of what I - my family - had just lost. This little homeless calico had complete power over comforting me. I might have melted completely if Domenic hadn't been there. As it was, we both teared up, and talked about the eerie way this cat seemed to know what we both needed.
(For those of you wondering why I didn't bring her home with me, the choice really isn't just mine. We have another elderly and ill cat, along with Finnigan (who thinks kitties are squirrels on steroids), and an active sort of household that goes along with three kids. Choosing another cat cannot be a spontaneous choice on my part. Although, if you're reading this on the sly, Rick, my vote is to consider giving this little one a try......)
Stay tuned next week for at least 5 paintings that will be available to the first buyer, with proceeds going to the Oakland Pet Fund, a non-profit dedicated to turning our county shelters into no-kill operations by 2010. These paintings will make wonderful holiday gifts, and you'll be supporting an incredible cause at the same time.
Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings and stories with your friends and family.
See you tomorrow,
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
When my client first contacted me last summer about painting Bud, she was a little hesitant. Bud was the dog she had grown up with, and finding photos was going to be a chore. COuld i work from old polaroids and other scanned images? of course! She came through with a handful of beautiful, albeit faded, photos, most taken in natural lighting. I was able to paint a portrait for her to give her mother from those. I cannot wait to hear of her family's reaction on Christmas morning, for even after all these years, Bud has a hold of them all.
This has been a week full of rumination on the power of these sweet souls. How they tag our hearts for a lifetime, and leave us in their gentle wake.
My oldest son and I visited the Oakland Pet Adoption Center today to shoot reference photos of adoptable animals for profiling during next weeks' Animal Welfare Week. We walked into Kitty City, a large room where the older cats who have been longer term residents at the shelter are able to stretch their legs and play. We were immediately greeted by the sweetest calico. While the other residents summed us up from their various perches, she popped from the depths of a kitty condo and waltzed right on over, begging for love.
I scooped her up and held her while that purr reverberated through my whole body. She was entirely different than Turtle, yet so very similar. She looked into my eyes and meowed, that distinctive cooing sort of noise that had earned Turtle her name. She rubbed her face into mine, while I held her and thought of what I - my family - had just lost. This little homeless calico had complete power over comforting me. I might have melted completely if Domenic hadn't been there. As it was, we both teared up, and talked about the eerie way this cat seemed to know what we both needed.
(For those of you wondering why I didn't bring her home with me, the choice really isn't just mine. We have another elderly and ill cat, along with Finnigan (who thinks kitties are squirrels on steroids), and an active sort of household that goes along with three kids. Choosing another cat cannot be a spontaneous choice on my part. Although, if you're reading this on the sly, Rick, my vote is to consider giving this little one a try......)
Stay tuned next week for at least 5 paintings that will be available to the first buyer, with proceeds going to the Oakland Pet Fund, a non-profit dedicated to turning our county shelters into no-kill operations by 2010. These paintings will make wonderful holiday gifts, and you'll be supporting an incredible cause at the same time.
Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings and stories with your friends and family.
See you tomorrow,
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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