Paintings With Soul

"Avery," 12" x 12", acrylics on a museum quality panel, private collection. Human portraiture continues to challenge me, but I felt pretty confident that I'd nailed Avery's sweet tender profile and that signature bottom lip. But no one was more thrilled with Avery's painting than my sister in law (and brother!), and they are the best judge of their little girl's likeness. A little girl who's soon to be a big sister AND a big cousin. We celebrated the welcome news of Kelly family expansion on Christmas Day - there will be 2 more at the table this time next year. Hope your holidays were extra special, too. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Golden," 6" x 9-1/2", acrylics on copper, portrait of a golden retriever. This painting has a new home, and I am thrilled to get to deliver it soon. It's not often that I get to actually see the recipient's reaction upon receipt, since the majority of my paintings are shipped. I think The Reveal is one of the best parts! Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Apollo, The Sun God of Rabbits," 20" in diameter, acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, depicting the same black lop-eared bunny from yesterday, but this time in all his true splendor. Apollo is $1499 to the first one asking nicely, and that includes complimentary shipping inside the US. (laugh if you must at my Photoshop skills, but I couldn't figure out how to get a clean circular crop, but trust me, this is a clean circular gallery wrapped canvas with a very crisp, non-ratty edge unlike my photograph above) Again, many thanks to CC from House Rabbit Society for allowing me to paint from her photo of Luna - I am so pleased to have added this rabbit to my portfolio, not once, but twice! Tomorrow I'll get to working on the giant race horse that's currently in the studio. And maybe I'll bake something, like Starbucks chocolate cinnamon bread.  Because let's be honest, painting is always easier with chocolate. Thanks for your...

"Luna Lapin," 6" x 6-1/2", acrylics on copper, portrait of a black lop-eared bunny rabbit, $599 to the first one asking nicely. In process photos are here , and a short video is also over here . Let me give a shout out to CC from House Rabbit Society for allowing me to paint her Luna today. Thank you for permission to work from your lovely photo! Ok, I'm back to work. Tonight I teach! Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"The Black," 8" x 10", acrylics on a museum quality panel, commissioned portrait of one very beloved horse. We all know The Black Stallion , right? I grew up reading and re-reading Walter Farley's novels, and The Black was a favorite of mine. So when I was asked to paint this Black, even though he lives in a modern day barn, my heart journeyed back to my childhood. This Black became THE Black. Because that's what a little imagination can do. Prints, cell phone cases, tote bags, tshirts, shower curtains - you name it - a whole mess of goodies are available here, each one featuring The Black. http://pixels.com/featured/the-black-kimberly-santini.html?newartwork=true Also, if you are good at procrastinating (I'm a pro), we have a little time left to gift original art - I have the toy paintings for $75 , a few intimately sized pieces under $100 , ink and paint pieces for $149 , and lots of larger works. $50 (or less) can get you a c...

"William," 9" x 12" oval, gallery wrapped canvas (and the image is painted/wrapped around all edges ), acrylics and metallics, $549 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may always come to me . There's still time to gift original art - I have the toy paintings for $75 , a few intimately sized pieces under $100 , ink and paint pieces for $149 , and lots of larger works. $50 (or less) can get you a cell phone case, notecards, tote bags or reproductions. And there's always gift certificates - message me for those details. Nothing says "I love you" like a creative and unique gift. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

We're going to call this one "Blackie," so as to protect those who might know his/her real identity. Because Christmas is on the line here. "Blackie" is a 6" x 8" portrait, obviously a black dog, perhaps a lab mix, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel. And shortly, Blackie will be shipped, then wrapped and tucked away until Christmas morning. Blackie is the last of my holiday commissions - which means the pressure is mostly off. I say MOSTLY because I still have "13" to finish - a 30" x 40" exhibition piece that is due December 22nd.  But meanwhile I'm playing with ink lines and color and curved canvases . Because one of my superpowers is procrastination. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

I knew my website program was relatively old, but I did not expect this. The operating system upgrade I performed last week rendered my website image management program obsolete. Which means there's no way to reformat images to get them onto my website.  Which means there is a website overhaul in my very near future. And which also means there is a new procedure for downloading your desktop calendar. It is now stored here , and you must go to the first comment, click on the photo, choose the "option" menu, and select the "download" feature. Every month I will send you a new link. Unless, of course, I am able to wave my website wand and get everything fixed by the end of the year. I'm not going to put any money on that, though - December is cray cray!! However, I am doing my best! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, and the Happiest of Holidays to all of you, whatever and however you celebrate, may it be ex...

"Macy's Chicken," 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, commissioned portrait of a terrier. One of my last holiday commissions needing shipment! things are all on track, at least for the moment. Tomorrow night is our town's holiday parade (apparently the largest lighted holiday parade in the country), and both The Caped Crusader and The Princess will be marching, a first for us. The weather promises to be mild, and I'm looking forward to catching a little holiday cheer without risking frostbite like last year. And I won't lie, the best part will be seeing The Caped Crusader in a milkshake costume - he's marching with the Culver's contingent (the local fast food restaurant and his employer). Hmmm, maybe a pic of that will make our Christmas card this year...... Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Lionhead," image roughly 6" x 6" on a 9" x 12" foamcore mounted multimedia artboard, ink and acrylics, inspired by The Princess's pet bunny Dorit, $149.  Email me if you would like this rabbit for your own - and thank you so much for your interest! Also, if you are not familiar with Lionhead rabbits, you need to be.  Check them out here and here . And try not to fall in love. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

"HoHoHo II," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a vintage (unmarked) roly-poly plastic Santa toy, $329 (with complimentary shipping and handling to a US address). In between doing top secret paintings, I'm pulling out older pieces and reworking them. This guy first hit my easel in 2013 . I think he's quite a bit more dashing now.  Email me if you would like to to own Santa - and thank you so much for your interest! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

"Crest," 3" x 11", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a chestnut horse's neckline, $249 (with complimentary shipping and handling to a US address). In the same vein as reworking old paintings with new knowledge, this is a little piece done from a favorite reference photo which I have painted before. Each time I revisit the idea, it turns into something new.  Email me if you would like to to own this treasure of a painting - and thank you so much for your interest! Last year I took the entire month of December off. I'd never done that before. If you recall, in 2014 I encountered far too many goodbyes, and when my daughter's friend got her wings in September (cancer sucks), I decided to focus on family over the holidays instead of taking on extra commission work. I suppose it was a good thing, because in December my minivan got totaled (I had just paid it off!!) and I found myself unexpectedly shopping for a new car. Days...

"Jingle," 5" x 11", acrylics on museum quality panel, inspired by studio kitty Mona Lisa, $349. This is a reworked painting , one from a couple years back, that needed a little more oomph. Today it got that, splashes of color and an added jingle bell. Do you want Jingle for yourself?  email me  then! Buy notecards, tote bags, cell phone cases, etc here. Hoping everyone had a wonderful weekend - tomorrow rings in a new month. I'm not ready for December! Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

I cleaned out my small painting storage yesterday and found a few pieces that I really loved, which, for whatever reason, have not yet found homes. Which means that you win, because I decided to mark those pieces with special pricing, in the hopes of them finding good homes. Adopting a painting is a great way to being love and smiles into your home. And there's no litter box cleaning, poop patrol, or pasture picking involved. Complete info is here . Enjoy your weekend and thank you so much for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Sitting in the Fox Theater last night (pictured above), I realized how blessed I was with all the extraordinary examples of passion present in my life. The theater itself was built with a passion for beauty and entertainment, and has fulfilled that vision consistently since 1928. A track record we can all aspire to. And I have been gifted with a circle of friends who repeatedly show me passion for (in no particular order): Creating Authenticity Grace Love Music Movement Beauty Empathy Kindness Laughter Health Living Integrity Peace . ..I could go on and on. But I'll just summarize by saying how grateful I am for being able to learn and be inspired to be a better person by my teachers and examples. Which begs asking - what's your passion? and how can you share that this coming  year? Happy Thanksgiving, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Two messages from me inside one month - I know, this is a little crazy!  The holidays are upon us, and can kick and scream all you want, but that doesn't change the calendar. So I thought I'd take a moment and share a few gift ideas for fellow artists, animal lovers, and fans of my artwork to help gets lists started. But first, we've all seen the meme about small businesses, right? That buying from a small business is buying dance lessons for a young princess (true!), music lessons for an aspiring musician (also true!), and team gear/equipment for an athlete (also true!). And as the owner of that small business, I want to thank you sincerely for your support in keeping my dream (working artist) alive, and furthering the dreams of my kids. Wishing you a Thanksgiving (or holiday) table full of laughter and light, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Kentucky Derby (& Oaks) Posters Now that American Pharoah ...

In process, "Family Outing," 16" x 24", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting four sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescues. This is a commissioned piece started last week. It's getting closer to being finished (I'm hoping tomorrow, but I have a loooooooong to-do list for tomorrow already). You can follow along with it's progression here . Meanwhile, email me if you would like to talk about something equally special for yourself (commissioned portraits start at $399).

"Truffle III" and "Peppermint I" each 6" x 6", acrylics on masonite, $99 each. More calorie-free treats.  Email me if you would like to to own one of these paintings. I am working on smaller paintings, all priced under $100. I am SO sick of hearing about Black Friday for the past month, so I won't be hitting your inbox with multiple updates in these final hours before all the best deals in the universe implode together and create an entirely new planet. But I am preparing a few special things for my collector base. As with all my work, they are originals, so once they are gone, they are gone. I can do something similar, but I take pride in making unique and special paintings for each of my collectors. Also, if you are an artist interested in taking the Nutcracker Challenge, take a peek here . Or, if you are a Nutcracker collector, take a peek here . And keep coming back - bookmark it for repeat visits. The Nutcrackers w...