Paintings With Soul

"Let Sleeping Dogs Lay," 11" x 6", acrylics on an Ampersand gessobord, this year's Valentine painting giveaway. My apologies for the bit of glare on the right side of the piece - this one needs to be cut out of the larger board I painted on, so I had to photograph it (vs scanning). This painting will shortly be headed home! In process photos are here and inquires about getting your own pet portrait come directly to me .  Last week I put out a call for photos - it was time for my annual Valentine's Day Painting Giveaway. I received 77 entries and narrowed them down to 9 wonderful finalists . Today I chose one of those 9 photos, and created the piece at left. Ultimately, this guy (or girl - I have no information on the dog's name or sex) won because he was all warm and cozy, something I totally envied given our extreme cold here in Michigan this week. I painted him while standing in front of a portable heater, swathed in layers o...

"Calvin, Sketch," image approximately 6" x 6" on a 9" x 12" bristol board, acrylics, featuring a sassy Weimereiner pup, private collection (THANK YOU!). In September I pledged painted sketches to fans making a $75 contribution to an ALS walk in honor of a family friend. Calvin's is the first of these portraits. I took extra special pleasure in painting him, layering marks and color and detail in appreciation of his Mom's support of a cause close to our hearts. Thanks as always for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Lexus," 4" x 8", Weimereiner portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249. Inquiries may come  to me .   Lexus is the latest addition to my Canines & Cars series of paintings. This particular theme has been well received and the paintings I share always generate a great story or two, excellent reminesces of road trips, errand running, and good times. (PS I'm open to reviewing any photos you would like to send for consideration of inclusion in this series of paintings! Send them to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  )   Tomorrow evening is the opening of the Art & Automobiles exhibition at  Starkweather Gallery  in Romeo, Michigan. On Saturday, Starkweather is continuing the celebration with a block party, accenting the artwork with a classic cars show, some excellent tunes and good grub.   I'll be there both days, just hanging and sipping wine tomorrow night, and doing a book signing on Saturday in the Carriage House behind the gallery. On Saturday I'l...

"In the Driver's Seat," 8" square, dog portrait of a Weimereiner chauffeur, acrylic on canvasboard, $349. Inquiries may come to me .   SOLD. Yesterday's painting "Riding Shotgun" sold in record time (THANK YOU!), so I was still without a second entry for the Art & Automobiles Exhibition.  Artwork is due at the gallery this coming Friday, so I spent today building another automotive themed painting. Should "In the Driver's Seat" sell prior to Thursday, I am happily throwing in the towel. (For those of you who are not artists, most galleries/juried exhibitions require artwork be for sale while hanging in their space/show.)   Maybe this is a sign that I should pass on juried exhibitions and focus exclusively on my family of collectors. (I'm prepping a piece for next year's Art Show at the Dog Show right now, though - what to do with that? maybe one of you could be bribed to take it off my hands......)   Maybe it...

“Rocky,” 6” x 12”, weimereiner pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). It’s not often that I fit more than head and shoulders into a dog a day painting, but with Rocky, I felt as though I had no choice. As all weimies go, she’s constantly on the go, playful and goofy as all getup. The reference photo of her stopping mid backscratch to taunt the viewer with a little eye contact was just too good to pass up! Lots of transparent glazes here, to accentuate the blue-pink quality of Rocky’s fur and skin. I used a similar color for the background, just a little yellower of a shade, to separate it from her body but still fall within the general color scheme. And I relied equally on the power of various lines as I did on modeling/shading the dog’s shape. For me, this painting carries a 5 star “grin” factor, even though I might go back into it tomorrow and throw another wash of pale green overtop the grass, and add some pale blue highlights to the ground. (yes, ...

Meet Shelby, a sweet weimereiner-labrador cross who excels at squirrel patrol. She also makes an excellent couch potato, or so I’ve been told. Of course I was attracted to all the color in Shelby’s coat, as it is a delightful combination of warm rusty shades with blue to lavender highlights. And those eyes – deeply set, kind and intelligent. Shelby was a delight to paint. “Shelby,” 8” x 16”, acrylic dog portrait on canvasboard. SOLD. Thank you and congratulations go out to Bob Kilway and his family for commissioning Shelby’s portrait. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with your family and friends, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings http://www.paintingadogaday.com/ come. sit. stay. enjoy the art. Founding member of the Canine Art Guild http://www.canineartguild.com/ the gateway to canine art on the web

Weimereiner study, 6x12, dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Available to the first buyer, inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Thanks, as always, for looking, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini www.turtledovedesigns.com distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings