Paintings With Soul

  NEARLY COMPLETED: "Evil Eye (Badd Kitty #1)," 6" x 10", portrait of Mona Lisa, my gray tabby kitten, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel. Inquiries may come  to me .   This is the first painting in a new series of Badd Kitties - I'll be painting cats with attitude and reputations. Do you know of any?  We should talk  if you do......       Mona does this thing when I'm working late on the computer - she leaps up onto my desk, snugs in under my chin, and gives me a head bump.    She usually also "Kitty types" across my keyboard.   I gently pick her up and put her back on the floor and edit her typed comments. And two minutes later, she's back again.   She continues this game until I give in, turn the computer off, and take her up to bed (she sleeps in a warm little nest at my feet).    However, if I take too long, the head bumps stop.    Instead, she jumps onto the desktop in one gracefu...

  "Tucker," 8" x 10", commissioned portrait of a mixed breed dog, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Tucker had a fan club. He was adored by so many - even recognized on FB via in-process shots of his portrait (you can find them on  the studio Facebook page .).   Tucker and his littermates were reseuced from under a house in rural Alabama. He was adopted out, unknowingly very sick. It took a special vet, the dedication of his new owner, a year and a credit card to get him well.   He rewarded his family and friends with 13 years of loyal companionship and lots of actual hugs.   And now a little piece of him will return to his family in the form of this portrait.   It was a joy to have Tucker in the studio with me this afternoon. And I know the painting will bring even more happiness to his family when it arrives home.   Meanwhile, I'm off to m...

    "Blue Skies," 5" x 8", done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, $299. Proceeds from the sale of "Blue Skies" will benefit my local non-kill shelter. Inquiries may come  to me .        While I am always looking for new muses, every so often I put out a special call for something in particular. In this case, I was looking for rescued pets to feature in paintings for an upcoming exhibition (now gone by). Rolo's Mom sent me some gorgeous shots of this guy, and I so wanted to paint him!   But at the time I had finished my paintings for the exhibition, and was rolling into the holidays, so he had to wait.   And he did wait, patiently, until today when I decided that I needed a little sunshine in the studio.   And now I'm looking for senior dogs. There's a show in the next couple months featuring mature personalities, and I don't have many of those in my reference archives. If you happen to know of one (or more), feel free to ...

  "Kepler," nearly 5" x 7" roughly centered on an 8" x 10" paper, commissioned portrait, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Kepler hailed from a shelter, and while it wasn't love at first sight, it was most certainly a connection forged by a love for her ceaseless spirit, ridiculous sense of humor and oodles of charm.   This is her "How good am I?" look, just one of the many tricks she's learned will earn her a cookie and some loving. Of course, she doesn't do it on demand - only when she's jonesing for a cookie.   (In progress shots are on  the studio Facebook page .)   I'm excited to actually get to meet Kepler when her parents come to collect her painting - I don't often get to meet my muses.   I should probably go get some more dog biscuits, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     One of this years Dog a Day  Valentine Giveaway entries.....  how on earth am I goi...

  "Baxter," image approximately 3" x 5" roughly centered on an 8" x 10" archival paper, commissioned sketch and as such, headed to a new home (thank you!). Inquiries are welcome (sketches like Baxter's start at $100) and may come  to me .      I didn't even think about promoting Dog a Day paintings as Valentines, but Baxter's Mom was way ahead of me.   This sketch will be winging it's way to her home shortly, where it will be a reminder of the endless love she and her hubby have for this dear dog.   This so beats a romantic dinner!!   Do you want a piece of this Dog a Day Valentine love? email me  and we'll do a gift certificate, ok? or you can take your chances and enter in the Dog a Day Valentine Giveaway by following the directions  here .   Happy Monday!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   Kiki Kelly's  "Snowflowers"   I just can't get enough of Kiki's work, and fear that I may talk her i...

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!! "Having a Ball," 8" x 10", acrylic on panel, depicting two border collies wrestling over a squishy toy, $469. Inquiries may always come  to me .     Years ago I attended a time management seminar, and the conference leader advocated regular scheduling of what he called "Mental Health Days." Days where, despite a towering list of to-dos, one would take a break and feed their soul. Because soul feeding is far more critical to our happiness than we admit or (I often) allow.   So that's what I did today, in an unplanned and spontaneous sort of way.   I started with brunch, celebrating my friend  Laura Locke's solo show (opens next week at  Lennon Photography ).   Then a visit to a girlfriend's new storefront (hey locals, did you know  Chic Antiques  has relocated in the old Scribbles building?). We talked about the possibility of my teaching a springtime multi-media class in her garden.   P...

  Detail of "Shreen," 10" square, commissioned Cocker Spaniel portrait done in acrylics on a panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Shreen is quite the extraordinary dog!   She's got her family trained to not wake her, even when she's in the middle of the bed. And even when she's on a pillow.   She's got a warm lap for the duration of any movie or television program.   She takes her people for walks (not the other way around!!).   She's the favorite, despite being in a multi-dog household where no favorites are allowed.   And now she's the only one with a Dog a Day portrait. At least for the moment!!   (In progress shots are on  the studio Facebook page .)   Thanks for placating me, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   One of the Dog a Day Valentine Giveaway entries..... are these your dogs? (don't really answer, because I need my decision to be blind......)   I...

Just one of our tables, strewn with paper samples and a variety of tape, with the girls hard at work.   Here I am showing The Jordan's how to bind pages into their books. Photo courtesy of the amazing Lisa Drumm.   Anna, showing off her favorite sequence of pages.       I had the best afternoon - I spent it with Stadium Drive Elementary's Brownie Troop - and let me tell you, these ladies are most definately our next generation of movers and shakers.   We started with an introduction to the idea of art journalling, shared some of my journals with the girls, and talked a little nurturing one's creative voice.    Then I showed them how to make a tape-bound journal using recycled materials.   We got busy sorting through a variety of papers, measuring and cutting our pages, and building our books.   I wanted to stay all nite and give them some pointers on what to put inside their new books, but had to satisfy myself by leaving a h...