Paintings With Soul

FROM TOP: "Zonked I," 6" x 8", and "Zonked II," 4" x 8", both portraits of a mixed breed dog, done in acrylic on canvasboard, both in a private collection. Inquiries may come to me . Remember Bailey? She's my brother's dog, the one I babysat in May, the one who promptly escaped and spent her day sightseeing around Lake Orion . Suffice it to say that the remainder of her stay was spent sound asleep (and on a very short leash when awake). I got a gazillion references of all the positions she slept in, in a variety of light sources. Just the sort of stuff to create nice paintings from, once the bitterness of spending a panicked afternoon hunting her down had somewhat faded. Tonight I got to move a temporary studio into the Orion Township Public Library, where I gave a brief presentation on being a working artist, followed by a Dog-a-Day demo and a booksigning of Painting a Dog a Day - the First Year (you can order your own copy here ) . ...

"Ponied," from the Saratoga series, 4" x 8", acrylic Thoroughbred portrait on canvasboard, $249 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . I painted this piece a couple weeks ago on one of those rare days that I wasn't herding kids around town. Inspired by my trip to Saratoga opening weekend, it seemed fitting to share in this week's countdown to the Travers Stakes, which will be run at Saratoga this coming Saturday. I'm itching to get back into the studio and get some painting done. It seems, however, that there are other plans in the works. I will most definately get to paint next Monday evening, though, as part of a live demo, presentation and book-signing hosted by the Orion Township Public Library . I haven't chosen my references yet, but will spend some time in the coming days pouring over files, deciding which face is best suited for the limelight. Meanwhile, I want to take a moment to wish my niece Tiffany (a longtime fan of Painting ...

"Winter Sunlight III (Miah)," 5" x 7", black cat portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, my personal collection. Inquiries may come to me . It's been a while since I last painted Miah , my original studio muse. This new painting came from the photos I took during her final days. I couldn't decide if I wanted to depict her frail like she was in the pictures, or if I should add a little flesh to her silhouette and clean up the fur. I ended up somewhere in between. This painting has some beautiful passages, and because it doesn't have to strictly represent any particular cat or age, I have the freedom to leave it as is. A special thanks to the new collectors I met at the Addison Oaks event this last weekend. I ended up staying 1-1/2 hours after my scheduled end time in order to sketch portraits for those who were in line, and I am so appreciative of your patience and perseverance. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed meeting all of you! Thanks, as always, ...

"Morning Commute," from the Saratoga 2009 series, also my entry for the August Virtual pARTy, 6" x 8", acrylic on Raymar panel, from a photo taken by Linda Shantz , $349. Inquiries may come to me . SOLD (TY!) Early mornings at Saratoga Race Track (or any racetrack for that matter) are delightful. You get a much stronger sense, watching the Thoroughbreds make their way to the training surface, of personalities and attitudes. The riders take pride in their mounts, and the horses have one thing on their mind - getting to that track and running. This painting is my entry for the August Virtual pARTy . You may see other artists' take on the same reference photo I've used here over the next few days. Artists have until Saturday to complete their pieces, so if you check it out today, make a point to come back again. On Saturday, I'll be sketching pet portraits at Addision Oaks (in Leonard, Mi) from 10am till about noon. If you have no p...

"Nano (Great Dane Study)," 8" x 10", Great Dane dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $449. Inquiries may come to me . Can you see the pockets of saturated crimson peeking out from behind everything? I toned (meaning painted the entirety of) the board with a mixture of alizarine crimson and quinacridone scarlet, allowing that to dry before sketching my composition overtop. I chose the red-orange underpainting because I wanted to dog to have a blueish tone to him, coupled with the green background, and the particular shades of red, blue and green that I chose are compliments (meaning they sit opposite each other on the color wheel). Compliments, when placed together, make each other vibrate or shimmer. Tomorrow's Dog-a-Day painting will be my entry for the August Virtual pARTy , using a photo taken at Saratoga Race Track by fellow artist Linda Shantz . If you wish to participate in the pARTy, you have until Saturday of this week to complete your entry (addi...

"Butt....", 6" x 8", acrylic portrait of a young man and his dog, $324. Inquiries may come to me . Another painting worked up from photos taken at a previous Dog Days of Lake Orion event. This year's Dog Day's was rained out and has been rescheduled for August 28th. Unfortunately I have a prior committment and will be unable to attend. It is always a good time, especially for me and my camera. But that doesn't mean that you can't attend and have a blast yourself - perhaps even walk away with the grand prize of Lake Orion's newest Doggy Mayor and a Painting a Dog a Day portrait! Meanwhile, I'm on the hunt for other dog-related events that will provide me with the opportunity to shoot some references and feed me painting ideas through the coming year. Know of any in the Southeastern Michigan area? Please email me ! Of course, you also are always welcome to send your photos in for consideration, without any obligation on your part to purchase...

"Pom Cloud," 6" square, Pomeranian pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249 to the first taker. Inquiries may always come to me . I was so crabby when I came into the studio tonite, and I spent a good amount of time searching for an appropriatly grouchy face to paint, all to no avail. Surprisingly (to me), I settled on this little one, a Pomeranian from the 2007 Lake Orion Dog Days event. Just looking at the series of photos I took of her floating at the end of her leash made me feel better. Tomorrow I will have a rare quiet afternoon in the studio. I plan to get through this big ole' mess of emails requiring responses, and also do some serious editing on Volume Two of the Painting a Dog a Day book, which isn't nearly as far along as it should be. I think both tasks will be accompanied by healthy servings of freshly baked zucchini bread. For those of you who are looking for something to do this weekend, I'll be sketching pet portraits at Addison Oaks C...

"Nuzzling," 8" x 10", portrait of a young girl and kitten, acrylic on canvasboard, $449 to the first to raise their hand and ask nicely. Inquiries may come to me . I got the idea for this painting last summer, and tried my hand at it with no success. Today I was cleaning out some files and came across my failed attempt. Maybe it was a sugar high from too many chocolate cupcakes, but I was confidant I could now pull it off. And while the painting lingered, and I mean it took it's sweet ole time, deep in "the uglies," and I was just about to give up, suddenly it pulled through, and began to work. This piece is a nice step in the direction of painting people and their pets, something that has been a longtime goal of mine. I'm not there yet, but getting closer. FYI, there will be a new Virtual pARTy next week, for those of you who are interested in participating or following along. Information has been posted to the pARTy blog , and I encourage par...

"Checkered," the newest installment in the Saratoga 2009 series of paintings, 8" square, acrylic on canvasboard depicting a Thoroughbred racehorse, $349 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . I can't decide which I like more in this piece - the bold pattern, the rampant color, or that eye smack dab in the middle of the canvas (which is supposed to be a no-no). Time permitting, I would like to do another one like this, but larger than lifesize, perhaps 20" square. What do you think? Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

FROM LEFT: (starting upper left, continuing clockwise) "Swish," "Stretch," "Many Faces (the 2007 AKC Eukanuba Championship Poster)," "Turlington," "Patience," "The Purple Collar," "Sisters (Turtledove and Miah)," and in the center "The Red Collar." ON THE RIGHT: (top) "V is for Vanner," and "Follow the Leader." All paintings with the exception of "Sisters" and the AKC Eukanuba Poster are available for purchase; inquiries may come to me . At the tail of last week I hung a collection of paintings at the Orion Township Public Library (pictured above). At the tail of this month, I will give a short presentation, demo a Dog-a-Day painting, and close with a book signing (Monday, August 31st @ 7pm). It would be great to have you swing by the library to take in some of the art or hang with me on the evening of the 31st (no reservations required for either). Thanks, as always, for sh...

"Lucy as a Pup," 6" x 8", Golden Retriever portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, not for sale. Meet Lucy, the latest addition to my extended family. Lucy belongs to my nephew Patrick, who happens to be turning 12 today. I painted Lucy for you, Patrick, so that you can remember how tiny she was, just like you were not so long ago. Happy Birthday big guy!! Make sure Lucy gets a birthday treat, too! Love you, Aunt Kim

"Bella at the Wheel," from the "Sunday Driver" series of paintings, 4" x 5", Maltese portrait in acrylic on board, not for sale. Inquiries may come to me . A few years back I fell in love with a painting that was part of an art scavenger hunt and festival. I was working my own booth at the street fair, but called around to learn who the artist was - I wanted to own this piece with every ounce of my being. I phoned her that morning from my booth and she promised to return my call later. Later that day, a woman came into my booth with her daughter and mother. She was at the street fair specifically to see my work. We got to talking and discovered all sorts of things in common, along with the fact that she was the artist I had phoned earlier. I felt as though I had known her my whole life, and an easy friendship was struck up immediately. I have visiting priviledges for the painting (it wasn't for sale), but if I show up at Kirsten's with an art bo...

"Blinkered I," 6" x 12", portrait of a Thoroughbred bay racehorse at the clubhouse turn on Saratoga, acrylic on canvasboard, $359 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . The weekend at Saratoga Race Track was incredible. I have so many new ideas swimming in my head, jockeying for position. I posted a few of the 1000 photos+ I shot to my Facebook page , so you can get a sense of what the weekend entailed. You can see additional shots that my friends Linda Shantz and Juliet Harrison took on Facebook as well. Lotsa purdy horses, dramatic light, some equally dramatic weather, and the company of great friends. So this is the first from my new series titled simply "Saratoga 2009." This horse was training on the main track Saturday morning. Such a joy to watch him interact with the other horses - there really is nothing like a running horse, reaching, stretching, fluid strides, blowing comfortably, all the while asking for a little more rein, wanting ...

"Open Road," the newest painting in the Sunday Driver series, 8" square, mixed breed dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $349 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me . I head out tomorrow for a long weekend with two girlfriends, fellow artists. We are going to Saratoga Race Track to ring in the fall Thoroughbred racing season in style. Well, as long as the style includes rain gear - looks like it'll be wet. But the excellent company will far outweigh anything Mother Nature throws at us. I'm not certain what my internet connectivity will be while I am out of town, so you might not hear anything (including email responses to any inquiries) until after my return. I appreciate your patience and promise to get back to you as soon as I can. And I've got another new series of paintings under my hat. I'll do my research while in NY, and hope to share some fresh ideas with you in the coming weeks. Thanks, as always, for sharing my artwork. Talk to you...

"Theresa's Rainbow," limited edition giclee on artist's paper, signed in margins, available in two sizes. Small giclee, image size approximately 12" x 6", $49 plus $15 s&h. Large giclee, image size approximately 24" x 12", $99 plus $15 s&h. Also still available are 4 of the original paintings that built this giclee: (identified by ball color) "Orange" (third from right, top hand row), "Yellow," "Green," and "Violet," each $299 plus s&h. Orders & inquiries may come to me . Yesterday I got the nicest letter from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) , and because Painting a Dog a Day sales have raised thousands of dollars in donations to BFAS during the past 3 years, I thought I'd share it with you. "Hello Best Friends Members, "It's been crazy at Dogtown... but a good crazy. And we just want to thank you for all your help. "When the "Vicktory" dogs arrived f...

"Lookin' for Eoin (Buddy as a Pup)," 6" x 12", acrylic mixed breed puppy portrait, not available for purchase. I'm working on paintings that are gifts and therefore cannot be shared for fear of ruining the surprise. Well, Buddy is one of them, but I'm fairly certain the recipient, my 5 year old nephew, doesn't follow my blog, so I'm safe. Unless another Kelly ruins the surprise, which would mean no more beers at my house, so I'm confidant the secret's safe for a little longer..... This is Buddy, a newly rescued Border Collie mix. He is a sweet puppy, already very attached to his boys, Eoin, Connor and Gavin. What great times these 4 will have growing up together! Poor Sarah (my sister-in-law) - does she really know what's in store? Just a reminder - holiday commissions are almost entirely booked. Please let me know if you are considering commissioning a pet portrait as a gift so that I can get you on the calendar before it is too ...

Today is my birthday. While I won't share how old I am (a woman has to have some mystique, right?!), suffice it to say that I'm a little wiser, at the very least wise enough to know how much I have yet to learn, but wise enough to enjoy the smarts I've garnered honestly. I'm sharing this because my wish is that you to do something for yourself on my birthday. The favor I'm asking is for you to consider, if possible, making a donation to one of my favorite shelters, A Place to Bark . You can support their efforts through the purchase of the 'zine publication Party Animals or you can choose to make a direct donation using the link on their site . (While you visit, be sure to sign up for their newsletter, too.) A Place to Bark is a private no-kill shelter (with 501c status) in Tennessee run by animal advocate and artis Bernie Berlin . It is amazing what Bernie is able to do - I invite you to visit the shelter's link and read more about her mission and the ...

"Caboose," inspired by Doc, 6" square, acrylic equine portrait on canvasboard, not for sale. Inquiries may come to me. Today a friend bid goodbye to her horse, a sweet tempered buckskin who danced his way into more studios than I can count. Doc is mourned by those who loved him, those who created art inspired by him, and those who didn't know him but do know Juliet. Doc came to Juliet from a series of neglectful owners, and her gentle care restored his health, giving him the best years of his life. You could see the joy in his movement, a love of his newfound role as cherished companion and muse, and his ceaseless delight in the simpler things (like treats from the whinny-ing cookie jar). And why, you ask, am I painting a portrait of his butt? Well, there's a secret society of artists, my friend and myself included, who find great inspiration (both real and tongue in cheek) from this end of the horse. Besides, she's already got a jillion and one traditiona...

"Marmalade," 8" square, cat portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $349. Inquiries may come to me . A few weeks back I asked for photos of light or white colored animals, as I was experimenting and practicing with subtler value changes and color temperature shifts. This kitty came from a new friend on Twitter - she sent me a host of wonderful photos to paint from. And I'm having a darned good time continuing my self-imposed lesson. The next couple paintings on my easel are commissioned gifts, and I won't be sharing them until after the actual gift giving, so as to not ruin the surprise element. It'll be quiet on the Dog-a-Day blogt, but the paint will be flying here in the studio. Thanks as always for looking at, and sharing, these paintings with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Squint," 4" x 5", black cat painting, acrylic on canvasboard, $184. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center, who has met their goal of being a no-kill and no-more-homeless-pets shelter far in advance of 2010! Inquiries may come to me . SOLD Had to paint a black cat today. A client sent me references that were so reminescent of Miah, my kitty angel, that I had to wallow in it a little bit. This little one isn't Miah, but I did pull on my memory of the way her fur pinked out in the sunshine and glints of blue peeked from her yellow eyes when the light was strong. I spent most of today doing the unthinkable (at least to me) - I scrubbed the studio, floor to ceiling. Being one who shuns housework whenever possible, this was a monumental undertaking. (Wish you could have seen my husband's face when he came home....) But it was necessary - I ordered new furniture/cabinetry and needed to set the stage ...