Paintings With Soul

"Oliver," 6" x 8", commissioned portrait intended as a Christmas gift, acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a suspected labradoodle, private collection (THANK YOU!). In process images are here .  ORDER PRINTS/NOTECARDS/SMARTPHONE CASES (you won't BELIEVE how cute Oliver is on a smartphone case!!) This painting was a challenge on many fronts - Oliver passed away suddenly, and the only photos my clients could squirrel away from his family were less than stellar. Nevertheless, I think he's got a dashing sense of color. And some excellent hair going on, too! And he's so darned cute, that I also activated reproduction ordering so that everyone could have a little bit of Oliver for themselves. Thanks so much for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Rory," 12" x 16," commissioned portrait of a Black Labradoodle with The Best Eyebrows Ever, acrylics on a museum quality panel. Plenty of in process photos are here, including closeups of his eye and nose along with a shot of my palette. Rory has a home, but there's plenty of other paintings in my head (and studio) that do not - inquiries may come to me . Although this photo is a little flat and gray because I had to shoot it under artificial lighting, my boss is somewhat happier about my productivity today. Let's see what my client has to say, though - I'm awaiting final approval. And permission to punch out and head home.  Thanks for following along, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    Another cozy image for a winter month - guess I have napping on my mind!   Sorry for the delay in sharing the March calendar - I jetted off to Florida and neglected to add the file to my website, something I can only do from home.   I had sunshine on the brain!!!   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 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 im...

  I could so use a nap right now.   You deserve a pretty picture and I haven't made it to the easel yet today, so here's one of my Painting a Dog a Day favorites - Brie (of  Lisa Daria Kennedy Painting a Day fame) from  January  of last year. This painting is in a private collection, but I can create something equally spectacular and starring your own pet -  email me !           Sometimes my days don't have nearly enough hours. Today was one of them.   Got The Caped Crusader off to school. Checked email and varnished paintings. Got The Princess off to school. Walked the dog. Emptied cat box, threw in laundry, cleaned kitchen. Sent The Man Child off to breakfast with a friend. Wrapped and packaged 5 paintings shipping to NY. Dropped The Man Child and friend off at school (they had a late start today). Drove way-the-way across town to get estimate on car repairs. While waiting for estimate, revamped class materials fo...

  "Curl," 6" x 8", acrylic on museum quality panel, available for $329. Inquiries may come  to me .   In process photos of this painting can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .          Does anyone remember Curl, one of  the Dragon Slayer contestants from this past summer ? His is a face destined to grace many a painting.   I had a blast painting today - Curl's face on the easel coupled with the company of The Princess, who had the day off school. She worked in her journal, finessing this weekend's kids journalling lesson (puppet affirmations created with stencils and collage). We also belted out quite a bit of Adele and ate oreos and mango (an odd, yet delightfully satisfying, combination).   We are off to ballet class shortly - so that she can sweat at the barre while I sweat over my gesture drawings of the ballerinas.   Meanwhile, I hope you have a fantastic evening!   Thanks for followin...

  "Tucker," 8" x 10", commissioned portrait of a mixed breed dog, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Tucker had a fan club. He was adored by so many - even recognized on FB via in-process shots of his portrait (you can find them on  the studio Facebook page .).   Tucker and his littermates were reseuced from under a house in rural Alabama. He was adopted out, unknowingly very sick. It took a special vet, the dedication of his new owner, a year and a credit card to get him well.   He rewarded his family and friends with 13 years of loyal companionship and lots of actual hugs.   And now a little piece of him will return to his family in the form of this portrait.   It was a joy to have Tucker in the studio with me this afternoon. And I know the painting will bring even more happiness to his family when it arrives home.   Meanwhile, I'm off to m...

"Ruby," 8" square, commissioned dog portrait, completed in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, private collection (THANK YOU!!). Inquiries on how you can commission a portrait of your best friend may come to me . Don't you just love this face? Totally melt-worthy. Dear, sweet Ruby. I have been negligent in thanking those of you who are keeping me busy. I'm fielding inquiries, booking new commissions and selling paintings left and right - guess it's that time of year! So warm thanks and a special welcome to the newest Dog-a-Day collectors. Thanks go out also to my favorite long time purchasers who have recently added to their walls. It is much appreciated. And Painting #1000, "The Sound of Souls," hammered last night at $330. Every cent is going to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. THANK YOU ALSO to all the bidders for making this event such a success!! Enjoy the weekend - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"An Infectious Grin (Jake)," 6" square, commissioned Labradoodle dog portrait, private collection (thank you!!). The sale of Jake's portrait will benefit my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Center. Inquiries, including how you may commission a Dog-a-Day portrait of your own and support animal welfare at the same time, may always come to me . Jake has had a crummy summer, ultimately being diagnosed with a herniated disc and undergoing successful surgery last month. It was important to everyone that we paint him full of smiles and energy, just like he will be in no time at all. Meanwhile, I need to extend a sincere thank you to those who have recently purchased my art, and welcome you to the family of Dog a Day collectors. As a collector you are qualified to receive 10% off future purchases, whether they be from my portfolio or commissioned works. Wanna be a collector? hint hint.... You are always welcome to browse the original paintings and limited edition giclees t...

"The Stick," 8" x 16", triple dog portrait (including a Labradoodle, a mixed breed, and a Labrador Retriever) in acrylic on canvasboard, $599 to the first taker. Inquiries may always come to me . The idea for this painting was supplied by some photos taken by long time Dog-a-Day collector Mia Bartlett, who responded to my request for pictures of black and white dogs. She regularly walks a mess of dogs in this creek, and sent over a good amount of exciting photographs showing them splashing and wrestling in the summer sunlight. I was drawn to all the color reflected in the water, while the three dark dogs created a mass or shape of their own. It was a great exercise to take my color outside of my subject, and use a tighter range of values and darks for the objects I normally saturate with expressive color. There's only a week left to earn an opportunity to win a Dog-a-Day painting of your own for the holidays. Get a friend to subscribe to the dailies, and each...

"Powernap (Jake, Labradoodle)," 6" x 8", dog portrait of a golden Labradoodle, acrylic on canvasboard, $324. Inquiries may always come to me . SOLD. I'm debating making the background a step or two darker in value - I wish my Photoshop skills were sharper so I could create a digital mockup in seconds. There's always something new to learn. Today was my library's used book sale, and I am delighted with the treasures I found. I got a 1st edition of Aubrey Beardsley's Selected Drawings , a nice collection of Van Gogh reproductions that includes sketches and unfinished works, Phaidon's The Art Book , and my favorite, Andrew Loomis's Figure Drawing for All it's Worth . I grabbed a couple other titles, too, packed with artwork, a grocery sack worth of inspiration for only $7. I've got some excellent reading to look forward to, and owe a big thanks to the library patrons who donated my gems to the sale. Thanks, as always, for looking a...

“Goldendoodle Grin (Kramer),” commissioned goldendoodle portrait , 8” square, acrylic pet portrait on canvasboard, private collection (or so I believe – rumor has it that my client is out of town, so I haven’t yet received confirmation that Kramer is, indeed, part of her collection – as always, inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ). The brushwork and paint application on this piece are just as juicy and gooey as Kramer’s face. I painted at an arms’ length away, using my whole upper body to make the movements. It was just like dancing. I wonder if Kramer chose the music, what he would have listened to this afternoon. Would it be Etta James, who I had going strong on my ipod all afternoon? Or would it have been High School Musical 2, which of late has been pouring out of every little girls’ window in our neighborhood (including my own daughter's)? Thank you also to returning client Barbara Pope who purchased two framed dog-a-day paintings today, each featuring bulld...

“Joey,” 8’x8”, labradoodle pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (Thank you!!). He’s just so darned cute, isn’t he?! Take a minute, those of you who are artists, and revisit the last three paintings, including today’s. They all depict black and white dogs, and were all painted with the exact same palette, yet each one has a different sensibility to it. Katie’s fur is full of the reflections of the green grass. She’s lying in a shaded area, and that means that all the light around her is reflected, carrying a green edge to it. Winnie’s fur carries more blue. It is reflecting the sky, since she’s sitting up, in a more “open” space, and lit from above, as the sun is higher. I used glazes of azurine blue overtop the modeled shape of her body, to exaggerate the color. Joey’s black fur has more of a brown or red edge to it (natural highlights that occur with the longer haired animals). That is amplified by using a smidge more red in the darkest mixture, and pinking out ...

Every so often a reference photo lands in my lap that doesn’t need much tweaking at all. Barney’s picture was just such a photo. The texture of his curls contrasting with the smooth grass, the blue and lavender shadows in his fur laid up against the silvery highlights, and the solid abstract composition built from the general shapes of the values – all these things shouted “paint me!” I was more than happy to give in. Of course, I did make a few changes. I softened the background, and pulled texture into the grass just at the bottom of the painting, so as not to compete with Barney’s face. And I cropped in quite a bit, to emphasize his face and the chunks of fur shrouding his eyes. And I threw a darker shadow under his chin to play up the light source. “Barney,” 8x8 square, acrylic labradoodle portrait on canvasboard, private collection. Thanks, as always, to everyone else for your time. And for sharing these paintings with your friends. Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledove...

Last spring I was happily involved in a live painting demonstration at a local street fair when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the most interesting dog amble by. I quickly popped my brushes into a cup of water, grabbed my camera, and followed the dog (and his family). Turns out Boomer is a labradoodle, one of those “gourmet” dog crosses, part Labrador retriever part poodle (I just got a commission for a puggle – a pug and beagle mix). But he oozed personality, and the light off his fur was quite luscious (I don’t expect you to understand this part unless you are an artist). My excitement must have been infectious - the family gladly allowed me to take a number of photos (thank you!), and despite 100 pounds of good intentions, until today, that was as far as I got with Mr. Boomer. I still want to paint him larger – really play off that interesting fur texture, and all the blues and lavenders apparent in his coat – but for now, this study will have to suffice. I did the underpaintin...