Paintings With Soul

"Goin' for a Ride (Molly)," 6x8, commissioned pet portrait, mixed breed (chow), private collection (thank you!). I was especially moved by the letter that came with my client's stack of reference materials. She outlined the details of Molly's life - found wandering on a golf course, and moved from one household to another, ultimately landing in theirs at 9 months of age. The only child in a military family, Molly moved many times, leaving multiple friends in her wake, and eager to make new ones. When she passed away last year at the age of 10, she was mourned literally all over the country. She was special and wonderful to so very many. And Molly's spirit continues impacting lives. Because, with the purchase of Molly's portrait, monies raised for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary officially topped $1000!! Overall, the Painting a Dog a Day project has raised $1653 for animal welfare - that's a lot of kibble!! I am so thrilled that you, my readers, have supp...

"Molly on Deck," 8" x 10", mixed breed dog portrait in acrylic on board, not for sale.   When we went on vacation in January, my sister-in-law watched the kids for us. Huge task, that was, leaving her quiet home (her kids have grown and moved out) and moving into our boisterous household. She held her own very well with the kids, the neighbor kids, and even Finnigan. She deserved a special token of gratitude.   Hence Molly's painting. Molly crossed the bridge last summer, but I had heaps of photos of her from other get-togethers. I know the painting will be met with smiles and maybe a tear or two. (Hey all you Santini's reading this - please don't ruin my surprise - do you think you can keep quiet till Sunday!!)   Inquiries may always come to me via email - ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . I am currently booking portraits for February 2010, and would love to talk to you about your own painting.   Thanks as always for sharing my paintin...

“Molly (Yorkshire Terrier),” 4” x 5”, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (thank you!). I didn’t feel fair sitting down to paint Molly just a little bit ago. It’s been a full day, and I am beyond tired. Started with a final house purge (had to get all the non-essentials out and to the salvation army before my kids brought lockers and cubbys full of goodies back in), then squeezed in end of school year class parties with tearful goodbyes to some of the best teachers on earth, followed by celebrating the onset of summer at the beach (how could I say no? They’ve been trapped in classrooms for the last 9 months). I would have loved to have crawled into bed after tucking mine in. But I still had today’s dog to paint (and a host of wet towels and swimsuits to deal with, too). So, even though it felt like Molly was getting the short end of the stick because I was so tired, I set up my palette, put on some soothing music, and got to it. And she pretty much painted hersel...

FINISHED!!   From left: "Molly" and "Shadow," commissioned dog portraits of two Standard Poodles, each 10" square, done in acrylics on panel (and still on my easel, although drying). Private collection.   In progress photos are on  the studio Facebook page .   I am grateful for the opportunity to add Molly and Shadow to my portfolio - just as I have been with the other 1200+ faces that have been part of the Painting a Dog a Day project and crossed my easel since 2006.   I have the best job ever, and it's all because of you. You share your stories, your encouragement, your companions, the occasional bite of chocolate and much, much more.   Thank you from the depths of my heart, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   Let Them Eat Turkey! (or Tofu)   Tomorrow I will not be in the studio - but I will be enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with my family.   And I will also be thanking each and every one of you for keeping my dream alive ...

"Molly," 5" x 7", cat portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249. Inquiries may come to me .   Don't you just love the color in her? I do. There are untold layers of paint - this piece glows when you hold it in your hands. Paintings like Molly's are why I stand in front of the easel each day - a solid combination of color and loose brushwork.   I may have another new love as well. Have you heard of creative journalling? It's a cross between writing, sketching, scrapbooking and collage, and a great way to feed one's energy. I've always kept diaries/journals/blogs, and I am in the studio creating nearly every day, so it seemed a natural choice.   Below is today's page. (I don't do a page each day, but one every couple weeks - and sometimes I work on a page or spread for several weeks before moving on.) This is a silhouette of the original studio muse Miah who crossed the bridge almost a year ago. Wow. It's been almost a y...

I have always admired the brassy sheen of a vizsla’s coat – from back in the dawn when we moved to our current home, and I coveted our neighbor’s Molly. Seen bouncing around behind the hydrangeas, her orange was perfectly offset by the garden’s coloring. Of course, I’ll admit my ignorance, too – I had never heard of a vizsla before. Molly broadened my horizons. Since then a remarkably astute client and breeder told me that vizsla’s were like weimereiners left out in the rain – shrunk a little, and rusted. So with that little bit of background, I give you today’s painting – a little 4x5 head study of a precocious little Vizsla. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family. 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 Ar...

"Caoba," 8x10, commissioned pet portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection. "Molly," 8x10, commissioned pet portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, same private collection. Each of these paintings is of a rescue - both hailing from Florida's Labrador Retriever Rescue. I can vouch for the sincere happiness behind the eyes of each of today's models. You can read more about their efforts at http://www.labradorrescue.net/ . Each of these paintings is dripping with luscious color. Coaba has greens and violets, and Molly is saturated with blues and pinks. I noticed today when I was painting that I was subconsciously using a technique I've been practicing in my class - that of modelling with my brushwork. I'm using a bright, about a 1/4 to 1/2" wide, and by angling and changing the amount of pressure and direction, I'm able to lay down a variety of shapes in one brushstroke. This can be powerful if I have the brush loaded up with the correct co...

ORDER NOTECARDS AND REPRODUCTIONS HERE   "Mr. Percival (You Can Call Him P)," 11" x 14", commissioned portrait of a mixed breed dog, done in Golden Open Acrylics on panel, private collection (warm thanks and an equally warm welcome to my new collector!)   I thoroughly indulged this weekend in food, family and fun. And somehow I even managed to come into the studio yesterday, refreshed and eager to jump into the paint, when I completed P's painting and got a good start on another. (Just don't ask if the tree's up yet, ok?)   In process pics of Percy's portrait can be found on  the studio's Facebook page , inside  the Mobile Uploads folder . Feel free to post comments there if you have any questions of thoughts about my process.   And now I'm headed back to the easel for a bit. Let's see who falls off my brushes next - I've got 11 faces lined up for this week. Yup, you read that right. E. Lev. En.   Because it's that time...

"Lavendar (Feral Cat #1)," 8" square, cat portrait in Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, $329. Proceeds from the sale of Lavendar's painting will be donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary . Inquiries may always come to me . Today is National Feral Cat Day. There is information on the BFAS website on how you can help community cats. I encourage you to check out their site ( watch the video ) - it'll only take a few minutes, and provide some good dinner table conversation at the very least! Thank you today goes to BFAS staff photographer Molly Wald, who's photo of a feral tabby inspired my painting. I took some liberties, not having to portray a particular likeness, but I did retain the clipped left ear. This is a signal that the cat was part of a trap/neuter/return program. Tonite is the opening of the Southwestern Michigan Portrait Exhibition at the Orion Art Center. I had three paintings juried in and am looking forward to seeing how they measure up ...

"Freckles (Wycheck)," 5" x 7", border collie mix pet portrait , acrylic on canvasboard, $135 to the first buyer. $26 from the sale of this painting will be donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the purchasers name. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . (If you like "Freckles," you might also like another painting I have for sale: "Turlington," an 18" x 24" much larger than lifesize border collie mix dog portrait in a similar pose. You can view "Turlington" at http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/canvases_available_for_purchase.html ) Freckles has sold. "Tousled (Xena)," 6" x 12", terrier mix pet portrait , acrylic on canvasboard, $200 to the first buyer. $40 from the sale of this painting will be donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the purchasers name. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. Both Wycheck and Xena are chronicled on Best Friends Animal Snctuary's website....

      "Scully," 6" x 18", commissioned pet portrait, done in acrylic on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!).    There's nothing more difficult than painting a beloved pet who's passed away for a collector who is still in mourning. And there's nothing more joyful than hearing from that same client when they've added a new family member and are ready for a new portrait.   Such is the story of Scully's project. He joined his family in the shadow of  Molly's  memory, but quickly forged his own way. And won everyone's hearts in the meanwhile.   I mean, seriously. Look at that face. It's no surprise, eh?   Fondly, Kim, who's off to cheer a certain football team Scully style, with full abandon and a silly grin on her face ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PS  I'm accepting commissioned portraits for the holidays - let's begin planning your project now, ...

This is the first full week of February, which, as the first full week of any month, means the dog-a-day paintings will profile special needs animals (or animals who provide special needs). This week the Painting a Dog a Day project will be focused entirely on dogs housed by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary ( http://www.bestfriends.org/ ) in Kenab Utah. Each of the paintings sold this week will result in donations made to the animal sanctuary in the purchaser's name. To date, the Painting a Dog a Day project has raised over $1500 for Best Friends alone - a feat I am terribly proud of. That said, let's get to two of this week's faces. "Good Old Boy (Grover)," 4" x 6", mixed breed (lab?) portrait , acrylic on canvasboard, $115 to the first buyer. Inquiries may always come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. Grover has been a resident of BFAS for 6 years. He lost his original home due to severe nervous anxiety. Medication has helped, but he still suffe...

FROM TOP: "Hey, You!," 6" x 8", equine portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, custom framed in beautifully detailed wood molding, $279; "Buckskin," 4" x 5", equine portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, not for sale. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . "Hey, You!" is from a photo my then 8 year old son took while accompanying me on a photo shoot. I do like the perspective, which was his literal point of view while this stallion towered above and zoomed in to lip the camera lens. It must've smelled of peppermints! My son negotiated a pint of ice cream as payment for copyright permission to paint from his photo. He's a kid after my own heart! And it never hurts to learn copyright respect at an early age! "Buckskin" is an early birthday gift for a dear friend, Juliet Harrison. She's a brilliant equine photographer (you can see her work at http://www.lechevalthehorse.com/ ) , generous with her ideas, always will...

    "Katie and Mollie," commissioned sketch portraits of two fabulous ladies, both rescues. The image is approzimately 6" x 4" and roughly centered on an 11" x 14" piece of multimedia artists paper, done in Golden Open Acrylics.   I ask my clients to share a bit of the dogs' personalities with me, just so that I get a strong sense of who they are in addition to what they look like.   Here's what I learned about Katie (on the left) and Mollie (on the right):   "Katie's a jumper, a barker, a kisser, and a total nut.  She's also a total spaniel - where she wants to be is RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, if not on top of you - and she loves nothing in the world so much as a belly rub.  Except possibly food."   "Molly's got a hefty dose of Chow Zen.  She's also got a lot of street smarts - which means, in part, that she knows how to catch her own food.  I can number at least three occasions where I stood on the sidewalk and s...

"Thank You (Poncho)," 4" x 6", cattle dog pet portrait , acrylic on canvasboard, not for sale. Poncho is an extremely special dog, with an equally amazing story. Of course his life intersected with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary , where he received expert care for numerous injuries. One of those injuries required multiple surgeries followed up with quiet recouperative care. Those of you who know cattle dogs know that they do not do anything quietly. Yet the staff at BFAS were able to limit Poncho's activity levels without the little guy going insane from lack of exercise. The story of his recouperation was highly entertaining - the things he would try as an outlet for his energy and the counter-actions the staff used to help curb his behavior made for great reading (although I perhaps enjoyed it more so because I have a cattle dog of my own). What warmed me the most about Poncho's story, though, was how he made it to the sanctuary in the first place. Poncho w...