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...

  This little painting is one of my most popular images for   reproductions.   I love the sauciness of her! She's a great example of brushwork and color, both topics I'm going into deeply with the second session of the pet portraiture demo, which airs live Monday, May 24th at 7pm. Above, the demonstration paintings from Part One. In this session we discussed in great detail concept development, client communication, and reference photo selection. We also addressed substrates, palette management aspects, and got an underpainting down along with the initial block in of Bean. If you wish to catch up, you can watch the session on demand. Full details are   here . And just like that, we are onto Part Two!! continuing right where we left off, I'll explain how I layer my gestural marks, my choice of color, how I mix said color, and a special focus on the importance of the animal's gaze. My goal is to bring at least Beanie's face to completion, and to tie up/s...

"Rudy & Riley," 11"x14"x1, acrylics on cradled panel, commissioned portrait. HOWEVER, if you recognize these two, please please please keep it on the down low, as the portrait has not been yet gifted (the recipient is not on Facebook). inquiries can always come  to me . For years I have been asked to teach pet portraiture online. I mean years - probably a decade or so. You have been more than patient with me. Which is why I am so thrilled to finally announce that I am doing so! May 18th at 7pm eastern I will begin Part 1 of a live demonstration of a pet portrait. I'm starting from the very beginning, building a composition that will look and feel like our subject, using   the wonderful goofball Bean   as our model. I plan to talk about reference photo curation, composition and design, then go into surface choice and preparation, blocking the painting in, and carry the mark-making until the piece is completed (or close enough that you all get the point). We w...

  "Full Moon (a portrait of Blue)," 14"x18", acrylics on panel, Not currently for sale (I intend to enter this piece in a juried exhibition where it must be for sale), but if you are interested in acquiring this painting in a couple months, inquiries can always come  to me . I love my Blue. As they say with rescue animals, who rescued who? and that's certainly the case with this little guy, who is teaching me to slow down and be clearer and deliberate with my actions. He's also amplified the joy present in my life a thousand fold. Spiritual wisdom tells us that a full moon is a symbol of a heart-centric, new beginning. I believe that our world is readying itself for just that, as vaccines are disbursed and we begin our post-pandemic lives. And who better to amplify that beginning than a little rescue dog, who came to us after 4 other households decided he wasn't the right fit for them. ALSO (a little reward for those of you who are still reading!) I will...

  "Kinsley," 9" x 12", commissioned portrait of such an adorable little girl, acrylics on museum quality panel. This dog painting has a home - but does your home have a dog painting? Museum quality 8" x 10"s featuring one dog on a simple ground start at $499; other sizes and complexities priced accordingly.   Reach out  to start the conversation. Thanks, as always, for following along on my art journey, Warmly, Kim

"Paul Anka," 8"x10"x1", acrylics on cradled wood panel, private collection (thank you very much!!). Inquiries can always come   to me . It's been 19 years since I hung out my shingle and officially began a new career as a pet portrait artist. With 3 children aged 6 and under, I started painting at the dining room table while they napped, moving into my own studio two years later. My daily painting commitment,   www.PaintingaDogaDay.com , started 4 years afterwards. There have been well over 1000 faces gracing my easel in this time, and I fall in love with each and every one of them. Here's an added bonus for you - I started Paul Anka's portrait   via a live feed on Facebook . You can   watch it   on the studio Facebook page, or if you are boycotting social media like so many others, it is currently uploading to   YouTub e (and taking forever, I might add, so  message me and I'll send you a head's up when it's ready!). It would be re...

"Loui," 30" x 30" x 2", acrylics on cradeled museum quality panel, featuring my grand-puppy. If you would like something similar starring your own puppy (or any pet - I don't discriminate), please shoot  me  an email. THIS portrait was a huge surprise. We gifted it yesterday to The Caped Crusader for his birthday. And I'd been waiting a looong time to reveal it, too, having wanted to paint this little guy since he first showed up in our lives. Loui and his siblings were dumped in a cardboard box at about 6 weeks old. My son found him online via a rescue group, just a short time after our family had said goodbye to Finnigan, the dog he grew up with, in July. Loui is an adorably sweet mixed breed, clever and honest, with gorgeous brindle coloring and ears he might never grow into. His larger than life portrait was hung with great pride over the fireplace. And I'm sure Loui is stretched out on the couch right now, too, taking it all ...

"Kodak & Ella," 11" x 14", acrylics on museum quality panel, commissioned portrait starring two stunning golden retrievers. This painting has a home, but if you would like something similar starring your own family members, please shoot  me  and email. I take on a couple pet portraits each month, but don't always get the chance to share them in my newsletter, since the vast majority of them are gifts and sharing could spoil the surprise. But Kodak and Ella's portrait is heading to a collector who has been involved in the project since the summer. It felt so fantastic to send her the final image via email this afternoon and get an enthusiastic thumbs up in return! It will be even better to hear from her when she's holding this one in her hands, in her own home. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, I can squeeze a couple more in prior to the holidays. And I can always put together a gift certificate, too, which makes for wonde...

I wish I had some of my early teenaged drawings, the ones I voraciously did while copying book illustrations. When I was a teenager (cue the sad violin music), there was no internet. Or easily accessible quality photo imagery, for that matter - film cameras were expensive, and photos were sealed under plastic in albums. There were no museums or art galleries in my town. Art was only available in books, and those came from the library. When I was deemed old enough, I could stay after school and walk to our local library, where I would hang out in the stacks for hours. Books were read, yes, but I would also study the artwork and draw from them. Jim Kjergaard's books were some of my favorites - heartwarming stories with beautiful covers (I wish I knew who this artist is, but I don't have this particular copy anymore). I can't tell you how many times I drew Red, in pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic...

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...

My very first Dog a Day painting, Pink, a little 4" x 5" panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). This is where things really began to take off. But let's go back in time a little first. It's 2006. I had been creating larger than life sized pet portraits for about 5 years, selling them online (via ebay and my website). I was a little disillusioned, always moving from one commission to another, with little time for continued learning or experimentation (entirely my own fault). In October I decided to carve out a small window of time each day for just myself. An hour to push paint without any expectation but to have fun. I built   a blog   as a dedicated space to record my efforts, because I love to compartmentalize everything. Yes, everything. My Inner Marketer thought I should dovetail the daily project with the studio in some way, to further drive traffic to   my website   via keywords, regular updates and context ...

In Process: "Blue, version 2.0," 16" x 20", acrylics on panel. Collection of moi. However I will make prints available when he's finished, so   let me know   if you are interested in being notified when that happens. I painted our little boy  Blue   once before, and   that one   is currently hanging in The Gold Show at The Anton Art Center in Mt. Clemens   (the exhibition opening is this Saturday, from 2-4, if you are interested).  Meanwhile, this is a similar pose but a different approach, lighter hearted and a bit more playful, just like Blue himself. I am considering sending this version to a juried exhibition as well, but if I do, he must be for sale. I'm not sure if I can do that and risk him not coming home. I suppose we shall see as the entry deadline draws closer if I feel any differently. Meanwhile, yes, I can do something similar to this starring your four legged soulmate. Commissioned portraits in this style start at...

Kimberly Kelly Santini   paintings with soul because our world needs more beauty   "Bailey and Charlie," 12" x 12" x 1/22", acrylics on museum quality cradeled panel, commissioned portrait and heading home soon. They no longer flood my various social media feeds, but I do still create one or two pet portraits each month. Because when all is said and done, there is nothing quite like delivering an original image that melds memories and emotions into the perfect summary of my clients' relationship with their special family members. Prices start at $399 for museum quality original paintings. I work from copyright free reference photos and your stories to create a treasured family keepsake. Turnaround is dependent upon my current workload, but averages several months (and can be much longer near the end of the year), so please plan accordingly. Inquiries may come directly   to me .

First Snow, 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, $699 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come to   ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   . Want something similar starring your dog? I work from your photos to create an image that is uniquely your pet. Museum quality panels start at $399 -   inquire now   for holiday delivery.  Share Tweet Forward It's been a crazy couple of weeks, between unexpectedly having to purchase a new car, moving into my out-side-the-house-studio, planning an open studio event, shipping work to a new gallery, diving headfirst into an exciting new series of paintings and feeling a bit under the weather. But I'm persisting and learning every day. Today I learned how to check a head gasket in an engine, took in an exhibition that didn't thrill me much at all (but it's still important to look!), read up on the election results (which were exciting to say the least), playe...

I'm taking a little break between commissions today, and thought I would try to combine my recent flower studies with a dog portrait. There's so much potential with this process! I have all sorts of ideas as to how I want to take the flowers/loose and bold painting approach and integrate it into my own style. The above piece is 12" x 16", acrylics with pastel accents on a museum quality panel. It can be yours for $399 - there's only one original, and the first one asking nicely gets it! Email me . Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

It's magical, isn't it? Like the first snow every year. "Nita's Bliss," 18" x 24" on a cradeled panel, done in acrylics on an ampersand gessoboard, heading to her new home next week. A detail of this painting is below - it's luscious in every possible way. You may order reproductions of Nita's Bliss here:   Please let me know if you would like something similar starring your own dog. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Oliver," image approximately 5-1/2" square roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, acrylics, commissioned portrait of a black French Bulldog. Oliver has a home (thank you very much!), but I do have a few remaining spots for painted sketches similar to his available - details on reserving your spot are below. Email me . Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

From last December, this was a Christmas gift I couldn't share for fear of ruining the surprise. "Buster," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, commissioned portrait depicting a family member who is dearly missed.  If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, let me know .  Rough day at the easel. I tried a particular composition at least 5 times, but I might as well just been sleeping at my desk. Still not clear why it wasn't working, but I did fine tune my sanding and wiping skills. Then I went and ate a lot of cheese. I've been on a cheese kick lately. And worked on my new website. Now I'm off to teach art journaling class. The day hasn't been a total waste. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

All finished, "Caught," 8" x 12", acrylics on copper panel, portrait of a Golden Retriever complete with ball, $849 to the first asking nicely. As always, inquiries may come to me .  I've been thinking a lot about Daily Painting, the habits it has instilled in me, and how they might - or might not - serve the final painting.  One of my takeaways from my nearly 10 years of daily painting is that, originally, my goal was to complete a painting in a day. In the beginning, painting a 4"x5" portrait in one day was a big challenge, and as I became more comfortable with that, I expanded my focus to include larger and then more complex paintings. However, I have realized that limiting myself to one day just isn't the best approach for the sort of artwork I now want to create. I need to simmer with the paintings, consider and try out various solutions to my intended end. And that can't be boiled down into a specific length of time. ...

In process detail, "Caught," 8" x 12", (detail approximately 6" square of the entire painting surface), acrylics on copper panel, portrait of a Golden Retriever with HER ball, $849 to the first asking nicely. As always, inquiries may come to me .  I am getting caught up in the intricacy of the marks and layers of paint. Wanted to share all the lusciousness of that with you. This part takes time, as I paint the whole image, scratch, sand and distress it, then repeat. Over and over until it looks just right. It's almost just right. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com