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This is Tina, several portraits of her.




The more traditional one featuring her face. "Tina," 4x5, commissioned chow pet portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection.



And a still life comprised of her dog tags strung together from that now familiar nail in my studio wall. "Tina's Tags," 4x8, still life composition built of dog tags and licenses, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection.

My client contacted me mid-summer about painting a traditional portrait of Tina shortly after having to say goodbye to her dear girl. The earliest I could schedule Tina was this week, which happened to be that of her 12th birthday. Karma at work.

The dog tags came along several months after the portrait was scheduled, shortly after I announced my intention to paint canine related still lives. I held the tags in my hand, and knew there were two portraits to paint.

I need to send a special thank you and hugs to my client, who despite expecting just the one painting, has embraced both.

If you would like to submit your dog's tags, collars, or other ephemera for inclusion in my still life project, you may send your materials to the studio at 346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362. I will acknowledge receipt of all items. If you would like your objects returned, please also include a self addressed stamped envelope.

And I am booking dog-a-day commissions for November 2008 right now. Please let me know if you are interested! Photo submissions may come via snail mail to the address above, or digitally to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

And one last note - later today I'll post an image of the portrait I painted last night during class.on in my studio blog: http://www.ksantini.blogspot.com/ . Tina's two paintings and last night's exhuberantly colored portrait were done with the same colors on my palette, yet each has a markedly different mood. You can push a small range of paint into infinite directions. I am constantly surprised at the variety I can get with just a few tubes of paint, and starting to feel guilty about the drawers of color I have stashed in the studio!

Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family,
See you tomorrow!
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

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