Paintings With Soul

  It’s been 20 years since I began Painting a Dog a Day , the daily pet portrait project that went viral before virality was even an internet thing. It positioned my signature loose and personality packed style at the forefront of pet portraiture at a time when consumers were first purchasing online products. My unique-at-the-time model of partnering with animal centric non profits, helping tell their story while also raising much needed funds for operating expenses, was adapted by many other small business owners. And the practice of painting daily continues to serve me well 25 years into my journey as a professional artist. Last month my online pet portrait workshop opened to great acclaim - we had a countdown to the first day and the students got immediately to work - I can’t stop beaming over what they are creating, it is amazing!   Shifting from independent work alongside gallery and teaching commitments to portraiture requires a serious mental shift (which is one of t...

"Lying in Wait," 5" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a kitten looking for a little adventure, $329 (includes shipping and handling to a US address). Email me if you would like to to own this little guy - and thank you so much for your interest! SOLD (to the first one asking nicely!) Something else is lying in wait.  The holidays are just around the corner. Yikes. I am so not ready for them! (PSST - portraits make great gifts, and I do gift certificates. Also, custom cell phone cases and other goodies with my artwork on them. Just saying....) Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Warmly, Kim   ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Awe," 8" x 12", acrylics on copper, an orangey-coppery tabby kitten portrait that glows far more than the computer can show. This piece, which truly is exquisite in person - the computer simply cannot capture the way the light moving across this changes the value/reflective quality of the exposed copper - is $849, which includes s&h inside the US. All inquiries may  come to me . Ahh, Copper, You Magical Glittery Surface, You..... I have been researching various copper sources ever since daVinci's last portrait . And today a couple new copper pieces arrived from Hong Kong via ebay, of all places. And all I could do was think about painting on them! I had a million things to do, including addressing college financial aid details, paying studio bills and 3rd quarter paperwork, baking for school lunches, prepping/packing for next week's workshop in Louisiana, wrapping and shipping 5 paintings, a private drawing lesson, and m...

"Mums Kitten," 10" x 16," acrylics on masonite, depicting a second black and white kitten (I painted one yesterday ). Please forgive the poor quality of the photo - this painting is VERY wet and most likely will take a couple hours to dry, so I opted for an iPhone pic and a little glare as opposed to waiting until 1am - I hope you can forgive me! I'll put a scan on the blog tomorrow - but meanwhile, this little guy can be yours for $579, and that includes s&h to your door (inside the US). Please inquire to me . And take a peek at the in process photos which are here . Opposites So Domino, my painting from yesterday , was a lighter valued black and white kitten painting. And Mum went in the opposite direction - there are lots of richly hued dark values in this painting. I wanted to experiment with the two extremes. See how the layered marks read when they were light vs dark. Play with lost edges at each end of the spectrum. Sand ...

"Domino," 7-1/2" x 12," acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a tender black and white kitten. Domino can be yours (talk about a low maintenance cat!) for $449, and that includes s&h to your door (inside the US). Please inquire to me . Also, in process photos are here . It's Time to pARTy!! So Domino, this sweet little guy, I think will make an excellent muse for this month's pARTy. What's a pARTy? Well, it's when artists work from the same reference to create work showcasing their own unique style. Domino's pARTy reference came from the website Paint My Photo - a great spot to find a little (or a lot) of inspiration. I've included the direct link to the photo , but ask that anyone participating does join the group (it's free!) and adhere to their terms of service (essentially only using their photos to make non-digital art, and the non-digital piece is their request, not mine). If you are p...

Ask Nicely - Buy Me Now "Boo," 6" x 8", acrylics on panel, depicting a tiny daVinci, $329 to the first asking nicely. SOLD (THANK YOU!) My previous newsletter provider didn't offer much in the means of integration with social media or dynamic looks. So today I shifted to Constant Contact and freshened things up a bit in the process. Let me know what you think! This little painting of daVinci, one of his first portraits, is a favorite of mine, and seemed the perfect choice to usher in the new look. I can't believe it hasn't yet found a home, but maybe that will happen soon........ Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Into the Light," 10" square, acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting Mona Lisa snuggled into a sliver of light, $499 to the first one emailing . In process photos are here . Mona snuggled in deep and slept soundly on The Caped Crusader's lap last nite, and I knew the image would haunt me until I painted it. Some days you just have to go with the flow - when inspiration strikes, I juggle things about and make the most of it. Next up? After dinner I'm teaching a couple dozen kids how to draw their pets' faces. And tomorrow I paint the Valentine portrait. Thanks for following along with my artwork,  Kim  ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Ruby, one of the finalists for a free portrait - talk about beautiful eyes! That's the subject line of the email I just sent out to the 12 finalists in this year's Valentine Painting Giveaway . There was well over 100 entries received this year (and sadly, they are still arriving, even after the deadline has passed). I have spent the entire day looking at photos, tagging and flagging and resorting and painting each of them in my head. It's been a grand old time! Thank you to all who sent in photos - the choices were varied and inspiring and heartwarming. Nothing tells a more compelling story about love than the slideshow I watched this morning. Meanwhile I'm looking forward to picking up my brushes on Friday and painting someone a most excellent Valentine. Which one would you choose to paint? Thanks for following along with my artwork,  Kim  ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Forty Five Lives," 9" x 12", portrait of five black kitties, done in acrylics on museum quality panel, available to the first collector asking nicely, $540 including s&h inside the US. Inquiries may come to me . When I saw the inspiration photo for this painting on Bernie Kazmarski's blog in early December, I couldn't resist asking if she'd let me paint it. Even though she is a artist herself and probably wanting to paint it herself. So I held my breath and crossed my fingers and toes and hoped hoped hoped she would just say yes. Which she did, and it was so fast that I hadn't even yet turned blue. I am so grateful to her for sharing the photo - and looking forward to seeing her interpretation as well! Thanks for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    Dang. It's October already. Where did the summer go?   To implement this month's desktop calendar, 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 will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.    I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so c...

Trouble Brewing, 6" x 12", acrylics on museum quality canvas, depicting the insanely cute tabby troublemaker daVinci, available to the first one asking "pretty please," $499, and those "pretty pleases" may come  to me . NOTE: This painting suffered damage recently, with one corner getting dented. This will not be visible if framed,however, I will discount the painting to reflect the damage to $299.   Yes, it's another daVinci painting. I'm distracting myself with cute kitten memories instead of fixating on the weatherproofing around the doors that he's eaten. And the screens pocked with holes. And the two strips of wallpaper he literally chewed from the wall right above the couch in the family room. But isn't he cute? (and don't worry, My Better Half adores this guy, so he's not going anywhere!)     Thanks so much for following along with my artwork!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ...

Four OClock (Mona Lisa), 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, portrait of the one and only Mona Lisa, available to the first one asking nicely for $469.  Inquiries  may come to me!!     I started Mo's latest painting yesterday (in process pics are here ), but was interrupted by two crises - one involving a broken down car and another over a missing uniform piece on game day.   My boss totally understood why I had to leave a little early!   Hope you have a wonderful weekend!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Cleo," an 8" square commissioned portrait of a beloved kitty. Done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, this one is headed to a private collection where she will join her kitty siblings on the wall.   In process pics are on  the studio Facebook wall.   And while I'd like to write more, it's been a long, exhausting week. I'm ready to call it a nite - with a nightcap and a great book (right now I'm enjoying  Art at the Speed of Life by Pam Carriker ).   And I know I owe you some deets about the Christmas in July giveaway - lots has been going on in the background here, but I am nearly ready to announce this. I'm hoping to do so with great fanfare next week!!   Enjoy yourselves this weekend!! Kim  ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      "Enzo," commissioned sketch portrait of a beautiful orange long-hair cat, image approzimately 6" x 4" and roughly centered on an 8" x 10" piece of multimedia artists paper, done in Golden Open Acrylics.   Another holiday gift in the making....... a rather fabulous one, if I do say so myself. Someone's going to feel extra special on Christmas morning. And someone else is going to get some major perks.   Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my paintings, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PAINTING WORKSHOP , October 8th, Lake Orion Michigan, 10am-4pm.  Email me  for additional information. Pinterest   Ever found a recipe or a great DIY project online? and then you go back to try and find it and no luck?   Yeah, me too.   That's why I'm such a huge fan of the new site  Pinterest .   It allows you to create virtual file folders of all those cool things you see online, complete with site ...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS HERE   "Mr. Waffles," commissioned portrait of a silly gray kitty, 6" square painting done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord.   Mr. Waffles the painting will be headed off shortly to meet the real Mr. Waffles (and the two boys who named him), but if you would like a portrait of your own Mr. Cheese  let's talk . I'd be more than happy to make it happen.   On another note, Mr. Waffles the painting was a challenge for me. So much so that I messed up and had to wipe down my first attempt due to some drawing challenges.   If the drawing (call it skeleton or composition or whatever you want) isn't solid, no amount of paint can fix it.   The "in process" photos  of Mr. Waffle's portrait are a perfect demonstration of this!   Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my paintings, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PAINTING WORKSHOP , October 8th, Lake Orion Michigan, 10am-4pm.  Email...

"Belly Up," 6" square, commissioned cat portrait done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, headed to her new home shortly. Inquiries may always come to me. The story behind this painting is a wonderful one. Cherie was in a life altering car accident, one that will involve months of healing. Her best friend (my client) thought the process would be a little more pleasant if Cherie could spend some time with her kitty Milla. But pets are not allowed in the hospital or the convalescent/therapy center. Hence this painting, which will bring a small piece of Milla into places previously inaccessible. I'm hoping "Belly Up" makes a positive difference in what will be a long recovery. If you would like to cheer Cherie onwards, please drop me an email and I'll share an address to send cards and notes. Thanks for looking at, and sharing, my artwork with your friends and family - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com PSST - I'm still accepting h...

"My Roomie, Dottie," 5" x 7", Golden Open acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, pet portrait of a long haired gray and white kitty. Dottie was my roommate when I went to Kanab Utah and visited Best Friends Animal Sanctuary last month. Her health was fragile at that point, but her personality remained huge. It filled me with regret that I didn't get to know the younger version of Dottie. I spent the day at my easel thinking about the antics she would have pulled as Mona - the new kitten - systematically cleared off the top of my taboret and scattered paintbrushes about. Next week, Thursday evening to be exact, I'll auction off another Best Friends painting, also Dog a Day painting #1000 (via ebay). You may recall "The Sound of Souls" - all the proceeds from this painting inspired by BFAS's Angel's Rest will be donated back to them. So that kitties like Dottie get the care and love and homes they deserve. Stay tuned to this newsletter and ...