Paintings With Soul

"Waiting for Santa," 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting my blue heeler mix Finnigan lounging in My Better Half's quilt draped club chair, $469. In process pics are here . And inquiries may come to me - I'd love to share a little cattle dog craziness with another household! Every year I do a holiday painting  - Mona's inspired the last three (how did THAT happen?), so Finnigan's been way more than patient for his turn on the easel. Thanks, as always, for keeping me company, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    Hard to believe this time last year there was no DaVinci.    And folding laundry wasn't an aerobic exercise in swinging objects through the air outside of a certain kitten's reach. And the trash can sat undisturbed in it's cupboard, along with it's contents. And I slept with my glasses on my nightstand instead of in my sock drawer. And I could leave a sandwich on the counter without second thoughts. And close a door without it getting battered from the opposite side.   He's so darned cute!   To implement this month's desktop calendar, simply download the file  directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link.   I am by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they ...

    "Blue Heeler," 12" x 16", done in acrylics on a museum quailty panel, portrait of Finnigan, the eldest four legged Santini.   This painting is not for sale - I've got big plans (including time on my own family room wall) - however, if you want something similar starring your own pet, send me a non-flash close-up in-focus photo and we'll get things started.   Photos and inquiries should come  here .**         **Paintings in this patterned style are offered 8"x10" and larger, starting at $469 for one face on a simple ground, with a non-refundable $100 retainer. And yes, I am more than happy to set up payment plans!  Let's discuss your portrait. I visited the  Detroit Institute of Arts  this last weekend and realized that my favorite paintings were simple and direct.   I tried that approach in this one, an homage to  Odilon Redon's  ...

"Multi-Colored Merle," 6" x 8", Golden Open acrylics on panel, depicting a blue heeler mix, based loosely on my shadow Finnigan. You can add this painting to your collection for $324 - shoot me an email if you are interested. It's been a long time since I last painted my boy, and I figured I would try my hand at him today and share the little stinker's face. I never tire of painting black and white animals and Finni is no exception. His glossy coat reflects all the color around him, and that merled fur resonates with blues and lavendars. And it's nice every so often to have Finnigan, even if it is merely a painted version of him, sit still and be quiet. Although the other version is currently prone on the floor, sighing at my feet. He's had a busy day herding kids, running in the sprinkler, and playing frisbee. Shhh..... don't say "squirrel." Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to ...

"ACD Delivery Boy," from the Sunday Drivers series of paintings, 6" square, Australian Cattle Dog portrait in acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord, $299. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . Friend and fellow pet portrait artist Kim Arre-Gerber recently sent me the reference photo that inspired this painting. She remembered I was painting a series of dogs and cars for publication, and shot the photo in Mexico. I'm slowly working on the series (Sunday Driver is just one of many projects I'm currently juggling) - and I invite you to share any ideas or (non flash) photos you might have for consideration. Meanwhile, I give you this dear Cattle Dog, quietly waiting in the back of the truck for his route to recommence. And don't forget about the sale in my Etsy shop - 10% off all original artwork over there (over 100 pieces from Painting a Dog a Day). Paintings make g...

"The Dance," 5" square, portrait of a heeler mixed breed dog with two children, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord, not for sale. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . This tiny little painting is of Finnigan and my two youngest. I don't think I could part with it, but I do plan on exhibiting it in a couple events coming up. I suppose that's always provided the piece gets juried into the show in the first place. I can paint large no problem, but when the painting gets smaller I get claustrophobic. The brushes seem oddly tiny and my gestures are tight and stunted - I really have to concentrate to get it right. On top of the whole scale challenge, with this portrait I've got two human likenesses to capture along with the landscape - more things I'm not familiar with. However I think it's critically important to shake things up periodically and step outside ...

"Blue Heeler (Finnigan)," 5" x 7", Australian Cattle Dog portrait in acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard. Inquiries may always come to me . It's been a long time since I last painted Finnigan (my dog), and when I found myself facing a later painting time slot this evening and wanting to experiment with a new surface (the Ampersand Gessoboard), I thought it would be in my best interest to stick with something well known. As to the dog, those of you who don't know him, Finni is a blue heeler mix, high strung and a little neurotic, but the most honest and willing guy you'll ever meet. His inky dark mask is a little askew, and his merle shifts from violet to pinks depending upon the light. As to the surface, well, I've been looking for a museum-quality panel to replace the canvasboards I've used for the Dog a Day paintings these last few years. I may have found it in the Ampersand Gessoboard. I picked a few up this morning at Utrecht, and will play w...

"Sweet Dreams," 8" square, acrylic on canvasboard, collection of the artist. Inquiries may always come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . We really got our dog Finnigan for our son Evan. Evan's first word was "dog." My feelings were hurt, but only for a minute, because I realized I had a dog-loving soulmate. BF (Before Finnigan), we were a cat household. As much as I loved dogs, I had been unable to convince my husband of the same. All he saw was poop getting tracked into the house by little shoes, those tell-tale yellow spots in the lawn, and a housesitter (or kennel) each time we went away. But Evan persisted. And persisted. And persisted. Finni (a blue heeler cattle dog mix) has been around for years now, but from the very beginning, he knew Evan was his partner in crime. He herded Evan and his buddies around the yard, then graduated to accompanying him on hikes and bike rides. Evan's taught him to play tag football (Finni is a great cornerback) an...

“In Flight,” 8” x 16”, (my) Australian cattle dog/blue heeler portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $160. I’m really tempted to keep this piece for myself, but being as I have what seems like two dozen paintings of Finnigan already and can always paint him again when the mood strikes, inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. People always comment on how disciplined and organized I must be in order to pull off the whole Painting a Dog a Day project, but then days like this one roll around, where I am busy scrambling to get various show applications completed by their deadline, and then, “DUH!”, realizing that I haven’t finished my entries for an online show that I’m coordinating. So that’s what you get today – my third and final entry for the Canine Art Guild’s “Dogs Just Wanna Have Fun” online exhibition (scheduled to “open” on August 1st). Among a few other neuroses, Finnigan has a serious Frisbee disorder. Thankfully there’s a horde of willing neighbor kids who l...

On top, "Charlotte," 12" x 14", beagle-mix pet portrait in process, private collection. On bottom, working title "Cat Nap," 16" x 20" cattle dog/blue heeler pet portrait, work in process. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . It’s been one of those days where, despite accomplishing a tremendous amount, I do not have a finished piece to show you. I started out working on Charlotte’s 12x14 portrait (the beagle mix), knowing that if I put another layer of glaze down, I could use the drying time to work on another piece. Which is what I did. Then, because today is “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” I thought I would paint Finnigan (my cattle dog). But instead of choosing something new, I went back into an older 16 x 20 sized piece (see April 2nd). SIDE NOTE: By the way, this painting did get juried into the Masterpiece Arts show, which ended in May. However, I continued to be bothered by the background and how flat Finni seemed to be, and could...

Going with the flow. That’s an important part of my artistic process. As you recall, I started a painting last week (see Monday and Tuesday’s postings) with a specific idea in mind – that being of my dog curled up asleep on a crocheted afghan. As the painting progressed, I began to fight with the amount of detail in the dog and in the blanket - I needed to find a balance that allowed the focal point to be the sleepy expression. I struggled with repainting and rubbing out and repainting and rubbing out until I was almost crosseyed. Eventually I stopped fighting it, and allowed the blanket to recede into the background. I softened the patterning in the granny squares, and grayed down that bright apple green that I loved so much. I laid more violet down onto the dog’s mask, and that helped to pull him forward into the viewer’s lap a bit more, too. There are still a few things I would like to change, but I simply ran out of time. I submitted the painting to the competition at 11:50pm last ...

I wanted today’s post to reflect a full day’s work, but the power has started flickering again, so I’m going to err on the side of caution, and send something off now. J Continuing the saga of this painting, you can see how I determined the folds of cloth and patterning in the blanket. I also redrew the dog, changing the twist of his legs, and beefing up his cheek and chest where before there had been negative space. During this whole process I have been using brushwork that follows the lay of Finn’s fur. This will create depth and also allow bits of stronger color to bleed through the final upper layers. I’ve also started to pull some of the green of the afghan into the blues of the dog and vice versa. Next I will work on refining my light source, double checking my values, and starting to build up the lower shadows in the holes of the blanket. Promises to be a busy night! More tomorrow. As always, thank you for looking. And for taking the time to share these paintings with friends an...

Due to an area power outage and a dead computer battery, I was unable to post yesterday’s daily painting. I also missed out on a quiet evening in the studio – I had wanted to continue working on this painting. But the plus side is that we got power during the night, and the kids were able to go to school today (much to their dismay!) This is the first installment of several, as this portrait is substantially larger than the studies I’ve been completing. Also I am gearing it towards an exhibition, so it will demand more scrutiny than the usual dog-a-day studies. The working title is “Granny Squares.” The painting is 16x20. It stars my dog, Finnigan, doing the next best thing to Frisbee, which is snoozing someplace he’s not supposed to (like on my great grandmother’s afghan). Actually, I’m piecing photographs of Finn with a live setup of the blanket (he would be in BIG trouble if he really curled up on this one!) – but he does like to sneak onto the big couch cushions when he thinks nobo...

This is my Finnigan, who takes snowflake chasing very seriously. So much so that he often comes in from even the briefest jaunt literally caked with the stuff. This winter the snow shovel has become as great a toy as the Frisbee. Finn’s usually intense “throw it for me NOW” face changes completely when his eyebrows have furred with snow and he’s grown icicle whiskers. Here is “Cattle (Snow) Dog,” 6x8, acrylic on canvasboard. Finn’s merled coloring is always a challenge to paint, and combined with the falling flakes and chunks of ice, there’s a lot of surface activity here. To simplify that aspect, I restricted the background to layers of blue and lavender, with the strongest and purest color concentrated in his eyes and nose. Much of the brushwork was done with a #1 liner, in transparent glazes. It’s a great piece to let your eyes travel across. This painting is going directly on my wall, so sorry, but it’s not for sale. But I could paint your dog playing in the snow. It’s as easy as s...

After years of begging, this was what our kids found under our tree two years back, just a couple of weeks before Christmas. Their reaction was great – not the expected “We got a dog!! We got a dog!!” squeals, but a tentative and confused inquiry – “Mom, why is there a puppy in the house?” Christened “Finnigan,” but now answering to a host of (usually) endearing names, this blue heeler pup has grown up and worked himself into our family dynamic quite well. I never tire of painting him, as his coloring gives me an excuse to dive into the blues and pinks and really play with brushwork and texture. This piece is 4x6, and not for sale. As soon as it dries, it’ll get wrapped up for Evan, my 9 year old, who moonlights as Finni’s partner in crime. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family. Happy Holidays everyone!! Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings http://www.paintingado...