Paintings With Soul

check her out, bring her home Golden, 12x12, acrylic on flat museum quality panel, available on my website . S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. 20 years ago I began painting daily, starting the pet portrait project Painting a Dog a Day. Over the years I developed a uniquely distinctive style and fresh approach that was eagerly collected by thousands. Yup, that’s not a typo. Shortly into the project things went viral and I had an 18 month long wait list for my daily paintings - it took me a loooonnnng time to get caught up to the demand. It was a lot of fun until it wasn’t - I got burned out around 2017 - and I have done very few pet portraits ever since. Until recently. I visited Kara Bullock at the beginning of May and we filmed my next online workshop focused on the characteristics of my Painting a Dog a Day pieces - loose, impressionistic color in personality packed portraits that can be completed in a sh...

"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 ...

Puppy Butt, pictured above, is one of my all time favorite Dog a Day paintings because it provided a critical Ah-Ha moment. It's a little piece, 6" square, that hammered in a big lesson. He sold right away, but you can order reproductions and other items through   my FineArtAmerica storefront . I remember painting it - keep in mind that after more than 1300 Dog a Day paintings, I don't recall actively creating too many of them. I remember being excited to start, so excited that I jumped right in, sweeping the background in with a wide brush I hadn't bothered to clean or wipe off. My color became grayed out and muted color. I cursed myself for being lazy (it's my greatest painting vice), but then I said, hey, lazy girl, you might have just done something pretty cool. Laying the background colors down with a dirty brush mucked them up (I work in layers, and paint the entire background first before putting the dog/foreground shape in). They were...

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 panel, originally $699, special 12 Days of Christmas pricing $609 plus s&h with holiday delivery inside the US. Inquiries may come   to me . The first snow is always beautiful. Magical. Then it gets all slushy and dirty and I want winter to be done with.   Share Tweet Forward Over the next 7 days I'll be sharing some paintings that would make most excellent gifts. These pieces will carry special holiday pricing thru December 15th, 2017. They are one-of-a-kind originals, and once they are gone, they are gone - so please, if you are interested in something, let me know in the timeliest manner possible. Additionally, if you are in southeastern lower Michigan, I'm hosting   a studio Open House in my new space . I've cleaned out my home studio (mostly) of inventory, and there will be lots to see, going back 10 years and more! I'd love to share some holiday...

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...

"The Best Gift Ever," 12" x 16", acrylics on museum quality panel, featuring an adorable and snuggly Golden Retriever puppy with a giant candy cane striped ribbon. This original painting is packed with texture and subtle color - it's truly a remarkable piece. And it can be yours for $629 - as always, inquiries may come to me . Gotta give a shout out to Karen Appleton , who's painted presents I have always loved. I'm sure you will love her work too! Thanks, as always, for following my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    PSST:  All remaining inventory from my Toys series of paintings (the little 6" square treasures) are now $50 plus s&h through December 10th, 2016. And yes, I will combine s&h on all orders. I've selected a few wonderful originals, including pieces never before offered, for special pricing through Saturday, December 10th, 2016. As I clean up the studio in the next few days, I may b...

FINISHED! "Mari(gold)," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, depicting a golden retriever puppy sprouting a crown of marigolds - the flowers represent the years of beauty and joy a puppy brings to one's life, as well as the fragility of our time with each other. Mari's portrait is $925 plus s&h. Inquiries may come to me . SOLD (TY) I would be remiss if I didn't properly thank Team Husar Photography for my photo reference. Knowing her love of goldens, I shared my concept of a Marigold Golden Retriever. She responded with a couple photos, of which Mari was based upon. I have the best, most supportive team behind me! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Brodie," image approximately 6" x 6" roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, acrylics, commissioned portrait of a golden retriever puppy.  Don't you adore that cowlick running straight up his face? ALSO: seats are still available in my Tulsa workshop which is May 4th and 5th. More information can be found here . Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Push Puppet Puppy," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a push puppet snagged from the dollar bin at Target a few years back. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Love this toy. Love it. Didn't love it while I was painting, though. With a 1" wide brush on a 6" wide canvas. This puppy needs to be larger, so that I could do justice to the little jointed legs and those sweet button feet. Which is part of the pros in working like this, with a series of paintings and parameters. I learn what can and can't be done, and how to re-frame those "can't's" so that they are "can"s. Consider this idea filed away for another day. Meanwhile, I allowed myself a smaller brush so as to clean this little guy up better. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The...

"Pup + Penny," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a Fisher Price Little People dog. And a shiny penny. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!). Reflected Color Something you see in life, but not always in photographs. See that smidge of copper in the dog's body? it's the reflection of the penny. And the green edge of his body? that's light bouncing off the green paper, light that has absorbed the color of the object it's bouncing off. And the shadow, how it's bluer near the dog's body? that's because the body's shadowed darkness is reflected into the shadow itself.  Set some objects up and see if you can't see similar effects. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Pongo (Toy #11)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring the inimitable Pongo from 101 Dalmations. I believe this figurine was from a fast food meal of some sort, but the distinguishing marks are worn off. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . What Was Your Favorite Toy?  Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Little People Puppy (Toy #10)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a spunky little spaniel with jointed legs made by Fisher Price This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I didn't play with this particular version of Little People toys, but I find them very sentimental never the less. They are well designed and charming. I tried to figure out what year Fisher Price made these particular jointed toys which I own (via ebay - I have circus characters too!), but got distracted learning about the history of Little People in general. They have seemingly been around for 50+ years! The Little People barn was a HUGE part of my childhood. The barn doors opened with a "mooooo," but in my head I heard welcoming nickers. Those horses and chickens were real. The brown and orange shag carpeting of my parent's family room became lush rolling pastures of green, and the Little People...

"Golden Butt," 7" x 16", Golden acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. This newest painting is a back side portrait of a Golden Retriever puppy. The painting is available for $589, which includes s&h inside the US - and returning collectors get 10% off. Better yet, if a new collector would like to take both butts  (meaning today's and yesterday's ), I'll give 10% off each piece, just to keep them together! Inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you! I can't get enough butt. Here's another  Morgue File  (an online copyright free photo library) puppy. How does one resist that stretched out little puppy body? and those ears? double whammy. In process images are here  . And click through so that you can see closeups of ALL the color in his sweet little body! And next I will tackle kitty butt. Stay tuned!  Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork! Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com...

"Pinscher Butt," 8" x 8", Golden acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. This newest painting is a back side portrait of a little puppy, either a Doberman or a Miniature Pinscher, I'm not certain entirely. The painting is available for $399, which includes s&h inside the US - and returning collectors get 10% off. Inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you! I had a hankering for puppy butt, but my archives weren't delivering anything terribly exciting. So I went to Morgue File , an online copyright free photo library, to see what options I could dig up (pun intended!). And I found little Chewy! And a couple others that I'll take on shortly as well. (Keep in mind that when you use a resource like Morgue File, there is a possibility that other creatives may choose to work from the same reference material.) You can see a handful of  i n process images here . Yes, the still life materials are packed away for a little bi...

"Day One," limited edition giclees on artists' paper, image size approximately 8" x 10" with a generous white margin, $50 each plus $15 s&h. $10 from the sale of each giclee will be donated to Paws With a Cause . Meet Hula, a service dog Momma from Paws With a Cause (Read about the puppy, Mystic, who I painted a second time,  here ). Hula's portrait was an immediate favorite at the time , and in response to numerous requests, I released limited edition giclees.  I have 4 - now 3 -  left of the original 25. (I love this - a collector just purchased one to donate to a Golden Retriever Foundation) Once they are gone, they are gone. You know, that is the whole idea of a "limited edition." Wishing all the Momma Bears out there a beautiful weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

"Gidget," 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting shaggy little blonde puppy. This painting is available for $469 to the first one asking nicely. VIEW IN PROCESS PHOTOS Someone who will remain nameless has been giving me grief. Apparently I'm not painting enough dogs to suite her taste. She bullied me into this. I hope she's happy now. Maybe she'll leave me alone tomorrow. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

Maslo, image approximately 4-1/2" x 5" roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, depicting an Aussie pup, private collection (THANK YOU!).  I don't offer commissioned sketches any longer, but recently a couple collectors asked nicely. And I simply could not say no, especially when it was to welcome a new puppy into the family and to memorialize a dear friends' dog passing. I forgot how wonderful it feels to sketch, stay loose, and gob the paint on. Oh, and there was some dancing happening, too. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

Here's a warm pile of puppies to help you through the frigid hug that Mother Nature's blessing us with these days. 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...

    "Man's Best Friend," 8" x 10," commissioned portrait, acrylics on a museum quality panel, a special gift for a special guy - you're in on the secret, so if you recognize either of these fellows, mum's the word. Plenty of i n process photos are here . Want one for yourself? Inquiries may come to me .     This is my second commissioned figural portrait. I'm just delighted with how this has turned out - and fingers and toes crossed my client is too!   Thanks for following along, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com