Neighborhood Watch (Shadow & Charlotte)

"Neighborhood Watch (Shadow & Charlotte)," 8" x 10", portrait of a Cocker Spaniel and a Beagle, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord. This painting is headed to a new home - but if you are interested in something similar, contact me.

My end of year studio purge unearthed the original of this composition, an unfinished 16" x 22" gallery stretched canvas. A few days later, Shadow and Charlotte's Mom emailed me.

"Do you remember that painting you started of my two years ago? you were doing it for an exhibition.... did you ever finish it?" she asked.

"No," I answered, rather sheepishly. "But I'd love to revisit it!"

She was enthusiastic. So was I.

So today they got another turn on my easel. I decided a fresh start would give the painting a brighter outlook. Besides, I really love painting on Ampersand Gessobord. The idea of working on canvas again gave me the heebie-jeebies. I know. Crazy. (I've been called worse).

So here is the painting, done and signed, 4 years later. That's a long time for these two to wait patiently at the window. Maybe I should re-name the painting "Patience"!

Are you interested in commissioning a special portrait? If so, please let me know!

Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork with your friends and family -

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Mona Lisa, pretending she's been sunbathing all afternoon and NOT been playing in the toilet.

Such a Stinker!

Aren't cats supposed to steer clear of water? Mona, apparently, did not get that memo. So far today she's:

Been busted on the counter multiple times, "swimming" in the fish bowl (which is now surrounded by 2 circles of packing tape, face side up).

Kept the toilet seat dame with a tell-tale trail of wet paw prints (Finnigan's smart, but he's not smart enough to frame her).

Dumped my paint water all over the taboret, then splashed around with the mucky brushes (this is my fault for not paying better attention to her hunting pattern when I was painting!).

But then the darned little bug comes and sits daintily at my feet, waiting for eye contact before quietly mewing. I scoop her up, she tucks her head in under my chin, and turns on her engine.

And all is forgiven.

I'm off to get dry socks.

Picture Book "A Dog Named Blue" - now available!!

The cover of "A Dog Named Blue," now available from Blurb publishers. When I first painted Amelia I never imagined that she would be re-christened "Blue" and inspire a book. In her defense, Amelia had a number of other partners in crime - animals who's portraits seemed to fall into a specific color category and prompt color-centric names. In typical ADD fashion, my brain started spinning 100mph. What if I turned those muses' paintings into a picture book for animal loving kids? I shared my idea with three friends in the industry, and they eagerly offered their expertise. I am truly indebted to them. Illustrator and author Matt Faulkner and children's book author and literacy expert Kristen Remenar edited an early version of the draft. They suggested key plot/conceptual changes that made it oodles better. Designer Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson worked her magic, pairing the images with perfectly color...

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me . Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po...

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves, Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all. Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site? And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting. And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...

Paintings With Soul

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