Paintings With Soul

I knew every dog in our neighborhood by name. I had read every dog book my library owned at least twice. I had a poster on my bedroom wall of AKC recognized breeds from which I sketched regularly. I begged my parents for a dog, preferably a collie (who didn't want their own Lassie in the 70s?!). And I loved relentlessly on this dog, Bridget, my father's hunting companion. This painting was done somewhere around 1978-1982, I think. It was a gift of some sort for my Dad. It's 15" x 20", acrylics on art board. I remember working on it with a tiny brush (Present Kim's toes curl when she thinks of Past Kim painting large pieces with a tiny brush - like nails on a chalkboard) and thinking that it was The Bomb. Now it makes me cringe a bit. Obviously it's from a flash photograph - that reflection on the bean bag chair is undeniable. And Bridget herself is literally white and orange - there is no nuanced or reflected color happen...

      "Pippa," roughly 6" square on a 9" x 12" paper, commissioned portrait of a Brittany Spaniel, not for sale.   I grew up with Brittanys, and spent today remembering Beau, my first dog. Every so often I feel his head at my knee, nudging me forward when I'm most afraid. Even though he's been gone for 22 years, he knows when I need him.   In process views of "Pippa" were shared on the  studio Facebook page . You can find them inside  the Mobile Uploads folder . And by the way, you do not need to have a Facebook account to view either of those links.   I'd love to talk about creating spectacular original art for you -  email me  and we can talk. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     

  "Open Up," 4" x 6", portrait of a very tired Brittany pup   Want to win this painting (or a similarly sized custom portrait) for someone special? visit the  Daily Painters blog and leave a comment about who you would gift it to. But hurry up - the winner will be chosen next week!        You know the saying "those who work hard, play harder"? I'm testing the truth in that this weekend.   And doing my best to keep Finnigan safe - he doesn't like fireworks, which means he gets runs extra hard during daylight hours and goes out only on a leash in the evenings.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family.   Enjoy your weekend!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Weekly Recap   Starting this week, I'll be sending out an email that recaps the prior days' paintings.   Just because sometimes, in the thick of things, we miss a painting or two.   Or want to h...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Her First Point," 5" x 7", portrait of a tiny Brittany Spaniel in a mess of wildflowers, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, $289. Please inquire . I met wee little Stella a couple years ago during a camping vacation. She was having a grand old time hunting grasshoppers - I'm sure she's graduated to bigger things now! Thanks for sharing my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Open Up.......," 4" x 6", Golden Open Acrylics on Raymar panel, portrait of a wee Brittany Spaniel pup, $239 to the first taker. Inquiries (including how you may commission something extraordinary for yourself) may always come to me. This little guy showed up at one of my son's football games this past fall. I loved watching him bounce around and trip over his own feet, then slowly get boneless as his energy wore out. He finally tucked his chin overtop his girl's arms and gave it up. I'm sorta feeling that way, too. This week was shepherded in by a snowstorm that kept the entire family home for 2 days. I loved having them around, but the activity level was tiring, and I was already running on empty. :) All are at work/school today, and the quiet house (or is it the purring kitten?) is lulling me to curl up and take a break. But there's lots to do still - I'm taking another half dozen paintings to the Post Office, for one, and regaling The P...

FROM TOP : in process and bottom completed painting. "Cody," commissioned 8" x 10" portrait of a Brittany Spaniel.   I love my wet palette box - it works wonders with acrylics. The setup is a shallow plastic box with a sealed lid. A thin sponge rests across the base of the box, and you lay a piece of specially prepared paper overtop that, upon which you can then lay out your acrylics and mix your paints.   The beauty of a fresh palette is inviting, with the neatly lined up rows of color waiting to be introduced to each other. But there's also an incredible lure to a palette that's hosted a wild party, with hues and tints racously lying about.   It's hard for me to roll up that piece of palette paper and say goodbye to the remnants. I can see the next 12 shades I'm going to mix right in front of me. And I don't want to waste the paint. Yet I should have done that tonight.   My paint was forming a skin on it, and while the puddl...

FROM TOP: "Blissfully Pink (Bliss)," 6" square, German Shorthaired Pointer dog portrait, acrylic on canvasboard; "Katie," 6" x 8," brittany spaniel dog portrait, acrylic on canvasboard. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Now that I see her on my computer screen, I realize that Katie isn't quite the right color - her fur was more like a burnished penny. I'll have to correct that, but later. It's been a loooong day, and like the winter gear filled dryer that's run nonstop for hours, I'm tired and need a break. These paintings will get wrapped and tucked under my tree. I had to delete my parents from the Dog-a-Day distribution so as to hopefully keep them a secret for just a few more days. They'll look great added to my father's Dog-a-Day collection of past and present hunting buddies. I have one other painting that I am finishing as a (personal) Christmas gift. It's a view of an uncle's backyard in the sum...

"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 we...

It’s Friday and the sun is shining, both which influenced my choice of dog today. He had to be laughing. So here is Cooper, one of my father’s brittany’s, and a favorite model of mine. Cooper’s mask stretches right down to his muzzle, which always leads to nice violets and pinks in that area. And his wide blaze frames that backlit profile nicely. “Brittany Study II,” 5x7, dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $60. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. I’m always looking for new models to star in dog-a-day paintings. Digital photos can come to me ( ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ). There’s a lot of events on my calendar in the coming months, and I was planning out entries this morning. I’ve had 3 dog-a-day paintings juried into various exhibitions already this year - I would love to showcase your dog in such a fashion! Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions at all. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these dog paintings with friends and famil...

Today’s dog started out as a portrait, but then I got carried away with color and feathering, didn’t pay enough attention to proportion, and ended up with a squatter and orange-er version of the dog. Doesn’t matter, for I’ll try my hand at her another time, and this painting has merit of it’s own. Here she is, an orange and white Brittany, tucked into a 4x5 canvasboard, but still busy scenting the air. All inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . This is my last dog-a-day for 2006 – number 51. Thank you for coming along these last few months – I’ve had a blast, and find myself growing as an artist with each painting. I am eager to continue this project through all of 2007. Let’s see what the new year drags in…… ! Thanks, again, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family. Wishing you a happy and safe New Year celebration, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings http:...

"Beau (Brittany Study)," 4x6 dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. This one isn't for sale - Beau was my first dog, my best friend during those tumultous teenage years, and for whatever reason I hadn't painted him since he died over 15 years ago. It's nice to have a small bit of him back. I wish you could see the stash of commissioned Dog-a-Day paintings I’ve got going on here in the studio. They are holiday gifts, getting wrapped and sent out to their respective new homes, so I will not be able to share them until the new year. The paintings have been sailing off my brushes the last few days, so again this week I can say that I am able to accept a handful of commissions for completion (and delivery) prior to the holidays. Please email me ( ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ) if you are interested – I do need reference materials by this coming Friday (the 15th). Thanks, as always for looking. And for sharing these paintings with interested friends and family, Kim ...