Skip to main content

“Cookie in the Snow,” 6x8, lab mix pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (thank you!).

While working late last night on a new canvas, I accidentally discovered a fabulous new palette combination. I thought I’d try it out again in the light of day to see if it was truly as exciting as I thought in the wee hours. And it was.

I introduced raw umber to my palette last night because I wanted my colors on that particular painting to be muted, yet still have a depth to their undertones. One can do this anytime by adding a touch of the colors’ compliment - that pushes your saturation back – but it can also flatten out the density of the color. What I found with the raw umber was that it deadened the saturation without chalking or muddying (yeah, that probably doesn’t make any sense at all to those of you who aren’t painters!). It was an exciting revelation, though.

When mixed with cad yellow dark, the raw umber created a warm and subtle glow. When that combination was tinted with pthalo blue, it became a richly dense shadow. And when glazed overtop with cadmium red, there was that beautiful warmth one sees in a brindled coat.

So there’s the history behind this latest color discovery of mine!

Cookie is the first of many portraits to come in the weeks ahead who’s sale benefits the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Proceeds from the sale of Cookie’s painting will further support their efforts at providing quality of life and a second chance to the variety of animals they shelter and rehabilitate. In the weeks to come, I will see if I can’t figure out how to create a space on the Painting a Dog a Day website (www.paintingadogaday.com) as well as the project blog (www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com) to track the dollars being raised in support of shelter and rescues through Dog a Day sales.

Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings with your 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 Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me .  Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po
“Rapt (Shadow),” from the Larger than Life series, 16”x22”, acrylic black lab mixed breed pet portrait on gallery wrapped canvas, $699. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This is Shadow, who went missing on Sunday night. He belongs to a friend of mine, and has been a fixture in our community for many years. Errant fireworks scared the silly old guy into running off, and his family is busy searching for him. (If you happen to be in the Lake Orion/Oakland County area and have seen Shadow, please call 248-391-0867 or 248-391-6817) I’m confidant that he is safe (somewhere!) and awaiting discovery, but meanwhile, couldn’t help myself from posting his portrait as today’s dog a day painting . He’s constantly on my mind, and probably will remain so, until he finds his way back home. Hug your four legged guys while you can! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ dis

NEW! Etsy Store

One of my favorite unsold paintings from 2008, "Lashes & Corkscrews," 5" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, depicting a tobiano buckskin curly horse, $289. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (but read further on how you can get a special deal on this painting!). Now it's ridiculously easy to browse my painting archives. All you have to do is visit my Etsy store . Etsy has a Shopping Cart (so you can pile it high with purchases from a variety of artists), is integrated with Paypal (although you may still pay by check if you prefer to), and is terribly simple to navigate. When the week has ended, I will have listed almost 100 of my favorite (UNSOLD!) paintings here, grouped loosely by subject matter. During 2009 I'll update the shop regularly, and add non-Dog-a-Day pieces as a bonus, thus making it easy to search for that perfect gift. Watch my daily postings for announcements, promotions and discount codes. If you do not receive the Dog-a-Day emails (