Paintings With Soul

"Open Up.......," 4" x 6", Golden Open Acrylics on Raymar panel, portrait of a wee Brittany Spaniel pup, $239 to the first taker. Inquiries (including how you may commission something extraordinary for yourself) may always come to me. This little guy showed up at one of my son's football games this past fall. I loved watching him bounce around and trip over his own feet, then slowly get boneless as his energy wore out. He finally tucked his chin overtop his girl's arms and gave it up. I'm sorta feeling that way, too. This week was shepherded in by a snowstorm that kept the entire family home for 2 days. I loved having them around, but the activity level was tiring, and I was already running on empty. :) All are at work/school today, and the quiet house (or is it the purring kitten?) is lulling me to curl up and take a break. But there's lots to do still - I'm taking another half dozen paintings to the Post Office, for one, and regaling The P...

"#3 Warming Up," 8" x 16", acrylic on board depicting a chestnut Thoroughbred, from the Virtual pARTy, $529 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . This painting was part of the Preakness pARTy that Linda Shantz and I held today. I need to thank equine photographer Juliet Harrison for allowing us to paint from one of her photos. What's a pARTy you ask? It's when artists work from the same references within a small window of time (usually a day), creating paintings that uniquely showcase their own style and sensibilities. You can see Linda's sublime painting here..... And stay tuned for the Belmont pARTy, which, due to popular demand will be opened to any artists wishing to participate. You can watch The Virtual pART y site for more information. I'll also share the details on Painting a Dog a Day as they develop. Speaking of details, my painting comes with a mini-art lesson attached on The Virtual pARTy site. Those of you who are artists o...

Hearing the wind howl all night, and waking up to 2” of snow just sucked the motivation out of me. Of course, part of that could have also been due to the mountain of laundry and endless household surfaces beckoning for Lysol. I do feel human again, though, which is a huge plus. But I did not curl up on the couch like I wanted to. I did the laundry, and killed two cans of Lysol along with a good amount of bleach. The flu germs should be gone (I don’t want to say that they ARE gone, because I do not want to curse us yet again). And then I painted a dog lazing on the couch. Next best thing to doing it myself, right? This is from a stack of 150+ photos I shot in preparation for a larger painting. Harley is the most handsome harlequin great dane I’ve ever seen, and I am very eager to paint him again and again and again. I may do overkill with the preparatory studies, as his coloring is such a joy to work with, but that’s the beauty of the whole dog-a-day project, isn’t it?! “Lazy (Dane) Da...

"In Profile II (Harley)," 4" x 5", commissioned chihuahua portrait, acrylic on board, private collection (or so I think - don't be afraid to ask if you love her little face). Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . This little gem of a painting came about because my client wanted a holiday gift for Harley's breeder. I love doing little pieces like this, especially when I get to work with a face like Harley's, who I have painted before ( http://t.ymlp67.com/ysataubeapamqaaausue/click.php ). And it gave me the perfect excuse to start another painting of her (a 4th one!), aimed for the Art Show at the Dog Show ( http://t.ymlp67.com/yuaraubeavamqapausue/click.php ). This weekend promises to be busy - Annie and I go see the Nutcracker tomorrow (our annual tradition), and our town hosts their holiday lighted parade tomorrow night. We'll decorate the tree and watch the Red Wings game after warming up with huge bowls of steaming chili. And you know wh...

  Vernal, acrylic on panel, 24"x30" sold (thank you so much to my newest collector!!). Questions can always come  to me. This momma bear has been in process for quite some time. I think I started her last fall. My initial challenge was to explore what changed if the composition went from portrait to landscape and if I turned her gaze to the side. First off, the landscape orientation really softened her body language, and a molten effect settled into her form. And the averted gaze allowed the bear to become lost in her own thoughts. I took advantage of this shift to paint her as elements of the landscape, then fractured that further into bits of spring, which happens to be showing up (finally!) here in Michigan. I particularly like the echos of petals and leaf growth that flutter across the panel like butterflies and the warming sun beginning to peek out in the east, behind her right eye. You can see Vernal in greater detail  here . Here's a little  video  that s...

"Snowshoe," from the Florus Animalum series, a companion piece to last week's "Snowdrop," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, depicting a snowshoe hare and a crown of similarly colored florals. A commentary on global warming. And a beautiful example of white not being white. Another piece that just can't be fully appreciated on the computer screen - it will delight the lucky collector who speaks up first. "Snowshoe" is $699 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come to me . And yes, I can give preferential pricing to the collector who wants both Snowshoe and Snowdrop. Payment plans welcome. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    Shop Reproductions Here

"Contented (Tabby)," 11" x 14", feline portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Inquiries may come to me . This painting is a play of warm and cool temperatures. Essentially the sidewalk concrete is a cooler gray mix, while the cat has touches of cadmium and pthalo blue red, warming his grays up and thus placing him firmly in the middle-ground. I still have much to learn about the push and pull I can create with slight color temperature shifts, but I am very happy with the progress I am making via my latest paintings. Each day I become a little wiser and a little better. And wouldn't this painting make the most fabulous Mother's Day gift? Thanks as always for sharing my artwork. And I will see you tomorrow, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com PS Don't forget to shop my Etsy store - I'm covering the shipping ...