Paintings With Soul

"Open Road," the newest painting in the Sunday Driver series, 8" square, mixed breed dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $349 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . I head out tomorrow for a long weekend with two girlfriends, fellow artists. We are going to Saratoga Race Track to ring in the fall Thoroughbred racing season in style. Well, as long as the style includes rain gear - looks like it'll be wet. But the excellent company will far outweigh anything Mother Nature throws at us. I'm not certain what my internet connectivity will be while I am out of town, so you might not hear anything (including email responses to any inquiries) until after my return. I appreciate your patience and promise to get back to you as soon as I can. And I've got another new series of paintings under my hat. I'll do my research while in NY, and hope to share some fresh ideas with you in the coming weeks. Thanks, as always, for sharing my artwork. Talk to you...

"Theresa's Rainbow," limited edition giclee on artist's paper, signed in margins, available in two sizes. Small giclee, image size approximately 12" x 6", $49 plus $15 s&h. Large giclee, image size approximately 24" x 12", $99 plus $15 s&h. Also still available are 4 of the original paintings that built this giclee: (identified by ball color) "Orange" (third from right, top hand row), "Yellow," "Green," and "Violet," each $299 plus s&h. Orders & inquiries may come to me . Yesterday I got the nicest letter from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) , and because Painting a Dog a Day sales have raised thousands of dollars in donations to BFAS during the past 3 years, I thought I'd share it with you. "Hello Best Friends Members, "It's been crazy at Dogtown... but a good crazy. And we just want to thank you for all your help. "When the "Vicktory" dogs arrived f...

"Lookin' for Eoin (Buddy as a Pup)," 6" x 12", acrylic mixed breed puppy portrait, not available for purchase. I'm working on paintings that are gifts and therefore cannot be shared for fear of ruining the surprise. Well, Buddy is one of them, but I'm fairly certain the recipient, my 5 year old nephew, doesn't follow my blog, so I'm safe. Unless another Kelly ruins the surprise, which would mean no more beers at my house, so I'm confidant the secret's safe for a little longer..... This is Buddy, a newly rescued Border Collie mix. He is a sweet puppy, already very attached to his boys, Eoin, Connor and Gavin. What great times these 4 will have growing up together! Poor Sarah (my sister-in-law) - does she really know what's in store? Just a reminder - holiday commissions are almost entirely booked. Please let me know if you are considering commissioning a pet portrait as a gift so that I can get you on the calendar before it is too ...

Today is my birthday. While I won't share how old I am (a woman has to have some mystique, right?!), suffice it to say that I'm a little wiser, at the very least wise enough to know how much I have yet to learn, but wise enough to enjoy the smarts I've garnered honestly. I'm sharing this because my wish is that you to do something for yourself on my birthday. The favor I'm asking is for you to consider, if possible, making a donation to one of my favorite shelters, A Place to Bark . You can support their efforts through the purchase of the 'zine publication Party Animals or you can choose to make a direct donation using the link on their site . (While you visit, be sure to sign up for their newsletter, too.) A Place to Bark is a private no-kill shelter (with 501c status) in Tennessee run by animal advocate and artis Bernie Berlin . It is amazing what Bernie is able to do - I invite you to visit the shelter's link and read more about her mission and the ...

"Caboose," inspired by Doc, 6" square, acrylic equine portrait on canvasboard, not for sale. Inquiries may come to me. Today a friend bid goodbye to her horse, a sweet tempered buckskin who danced his way into more studios than I can count. Doc is mourned by those who loved him, those who created art inspired by him, and those who didn't know him but do know Juliet. Doc came to Juliet from a series of neglectful owners, and her gentle care restored his health, giving him the best years of his life. You could see the joy in his movement, a love of his newfound role as cherished companion and muse, and his ceaseless delight in the simpler things (like treats from the whinny-ing cookie jar). And why, you ask, am I painting a portrait of his butt? Well, there's a secret society of artists, my friend and myself included, who find great inspiration (both real and tongue in cheek) from this end of the horse. Besides, she's already got a jillion and one traditiona...

"Marmalade," 8" square, cat portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $349. Inquiries may come to me . A few weeks back I asked for photos of light or white colored animals, as I was experimenting and practicing with subtler value changes and color temperature shifts. This kitty came from a new friend on Twitter - she sent me a host of wonderful photos to paint from. And I'm having a darned good time continuing my self-imposed lesson. The next couple paintings on my easel are commissioned gifts, and I won't be sharing them until after the actual gift giving, so as to not ruin the surprise element. It'll be quiet on the Dog-a-Day blogt, but the paint will be flying here in the studio. Thanks as always for looking at, and sharing, these paintings with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Squint," 4" x 5", black cat painting, acrylic on canvasboard, $184. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center, who has met their goal of being a no-kill and no-more-homeless-pets shelter far in advance of 2010! Inquiries may come to me . SOLD Had to paint a black cat today. A client sent me references that were so reminescent of Miah, my kitty angel, that I had to wallow in it a little bit. This little one isn't Miah, but I did pull on my memory of the way her fur pinked out in the sunshine and glints of blue peeked from her yellow eyes when the light was strong. I spent most of today doing the unthinkable (at least to me) - I scrubbed the studio, floor to ceiling. Being one who shuns housework whenever possible, this was a monumental undertaking. (Wish you could have seen my husband's face when he came home....) But it was necessary - I ordered new furniture/cabinetry and needed to set the stage ...

"Mongo," 6" x 8", commissioned pet portrait of a mixed breed dog, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (or so I think - I'm still waiting to hear back from my client). Inquiries may come  to me .   While I love all dogs, mixed breeds are especially fun to paint. Each has an endearing look, all the more special because they are one of a kind. So for these guys the painting process is serendipitous - I'll never do another similar piece (unless I paint the same dog again).   Guess it's also part of the whole "keeping it fresh" bit. Mongo is daily painting #718. If they were all of, say, Golden Retrievers, things would get a little dull in the studio. Not that I don't love those floppy, happy retriever smiles, but 718 of them would start to look all the same.   The mixed breeds bring variety, delight, and uniqueness to my easel. I hope they bring the same to your eyes.   Wishing you all a great weekend full of swishing tails and panting f...

"Lexus," 4" x 8", Weimereiner portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249. Inquiries may come  to me .   Lexus is the latest addition to my Canines & Cars series of paintings. This particular theme has been well received and the paintings I share always generate a great story or two, excellent reminesces of road trips, errand running, and good times. (PS I'm open to reviewing any photos you would like to send for consideration of inclusion in this series of paintings! Send them to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  )   Tomorrow evening is the opening of the Art & Automobiles exhibition at  Starkweather Gallery  in Romeo, Michigan. On Saturday, Starkweather is continuing the celebration with a block party, accenting the artwork with a classic cars show, some excellent tunes and good grub.   I'll be there both days, just hanging and sipping wine tomorrow night, and doing a book signing on Saturday in the Carriage House behind the gallery. On Saturday I'l...

"Pei Play," 10" x 20", portrait of two Shar-peis, acrylic on canvasboard, complete with custom framing, $729. (In the interest of full disclosure, this painting actually took me 2 days to complete, not the requisite Painting a Dog a Day's one day.) Inquiries may come to me . The above painting is Jay with his sister Raisin. They didn't start life out together. Raisin, being the oldest & wisest, sagely allowed Jay to join the family. Jay was "discovered" (err, rescued) off Craig's list. I've painted their portraits previously and separately ( Raisin was one of the first Dog a Days, and Jay, or "Chocolate Pei," 8" square, pictured below, was done just a few weeks back but I hadn't had a chance to share him yet), but couldn't resist painting this piece of them together. "Pei Play" epitomizes sheer joy, resilience and vitality. The perfect combination for this October's 2nd annual "Helping Paws...

" Whadda Mug! (Rocky)," 4" x 5", Cairn Terrier pet portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, $184 to the first taker. Proceeds from the sale of Rocky's painting will be donated to  Col. Potter's Cairn Terrier Rescue , a group I love working with. Their volunteers are just as lively and generous as the dogs they work with - it's a great combination! Inquiries may come  to me.   SOLD Long day today - worked till 2am then got up at 6:30 to take oldest to soccer practice, and the nap I had planned for this afternoon never materialized. I'm ready to totter off to bed right now, or else I'll fall asleep at my desk.   Thanks as always for looking at and sharing my paintings! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"A Full Belly (Marni in Foal)," a Dog a Day painting from the July Virtual pARTy, 8" x 10", equine painting, acrylic on canvasboard, $449. Inquiries may come to me .   This is Marni, who I met several years ago as part of a lovely spring photo shoot. She was days away from dropping her first foal, but nevertheless delighted to soak up even more attention (something she definately wasn't starved for!). I have a mess of photos from that evening, and chose one of them as the inspiration for the July Virtual pARTy hosted by equine artist  Linda Shantz and myself.   What's a Virtual pARTy? It's when a group of artists collectively works from the same reference. In this case, participants have 24 hours to make art with a 4 day window of time to complete those 24 hours. All the pARTy entries will be shared on the pARTy blog later next week. But meanwhile, there's a number of us who are working away in our studios, painting the lovely Marni...

IN PROCESS:  "Ready to Hunt," 8" x 16", pointer dog portraits, acrylic on board, inquiries may come to me .   SOLD. The dog and car paintings are officially a hit. All of them sold, and I was left with no Dog a Day paintings for the Art & Automobiles exhibition. I delivered the larger than lifesize Vizsla portrait** this morning, and she'll have to represent the entire spectrum of my work on her own.   Meanwhile I came home and decided to start another similarly themed painting. This one still needs some tweaking, but I just adore the energy and color in it so far.    Tomorrow is another Virtual pARTy , and this is another one that's an open invitation. Take a peek at the reference photo and see if you are interested in joining us. It promises to be a good time.   Thanks as always for looking at my artwork and sharing it with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   **I have a few limited edition giclees re...