Paintings With Soul

I guess it was rather overambitious to think that I would be able to build - in one day - at least 5 new pages on my website, 5 pages containing dog-a-day paintings that are looking for new homes. ll that while also having a quality day with my family. Looks like I'll get some help from Mother Nature tomorrow, though. We are under a winter weather advisory tonight, with a projected 8 inches of snow and sleet accumulating by the morning. That boils down to the possibility of some serious sledding weather, and those of you who know me, know I don't do cold. So there is the distinct possibility that I may have a few uninterrupted hours to myself tomorrow while everyone, the dog included, frolics in the snow. Then again, the weatherman could be entirely off. :) I thought I might share one of my new still life paintings, part of an idea I've been simmering here. I've been collecting old dog figurines - plastic, lead, celluloid - along some vintage toys, all dog-relat...

I am continually working behind the scenes here. I am migrating data into a new accounting system, along with the integration of a new mailing list management program. I've also been reorganizing closets and storage space in the studio, and preparing some canvases for a few new paintings, along with trying to tie up all the loose ends that got neglected during this last holiday rush. Oh yeah - and I finished a couple other pieces for the Art Show at the Dog Show. I will send my entries off tomorrow. Today I published a new page to my partially re-vamped website that includes all the holiday dog-a-day paintings that I was unable to post because they were surprises. You can view the paintings at http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/paintingadogaday/2007_holiday_surprise_dog_a_day_paintings.html . Tomorrow I hope to have a new page dedicated to the dog-a-day paintings that remain unsold. I also will begin planning the layout of a dog-a-day installation that will hang at the Orion Tow...

I haven't posted in the last week, but I have been busy in the studio. I installed a new accounting program, have been slowly revamping my websites, got through the stack of paperwork on my desk (which was quite a feat, if you could have seen my desk!), finished a larger portrait, and got considerable work done on two others. And I've also been working on my entries for next years' Art Show at the Dog Show in Wichita, Kansas. For those of you unfamiliar with this exhibition, it is the only juried art show in the United States that is devoted exclusively to canine art. You can see several years' history of the award winning pieces on line at http://www.artshowatthedogshow.com/ . And while I have had work in the exhibition, I have not won a prize. To date. I remain an optimist. So one of my goals this last week has been to develop new pieces for this show, and I have plenty of beautiful source material thanks to the dog-a-day project. I've gotten two paintings complet...

Today has been unusually productive. I've gotten three stellar little paintings completed, all for the same client, and all as holiday gifts. This leaves me with only two dog-a-day paintings left pre-holiday, and those I am awaiting reference photos on. Oh, and I do have one other large canvas that I have been slowly working on - but he's not due till shortly after the holiday. Since October 1st I've completed 77 dog-a-day paintings, and 5 larger stretched canvases. That includes a week off for my brother's wedding, and another break for the AKC Eukanaba National Dog Show Championships earlier this month. I guess you could say I've been a little bit crazed. But this means that starting tomorrow I can actually kick back, take a deep breath, and maybe even get to meet a girlfriend or two for adult conversation and sustenance of some sort. Oh yeah, and I get to do Christmas shopping (and wrapping), start holiday baking (mmmm, homemade biscotti), and catch up on other ...

"Samson," 6x8, commissioned cat portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). This painting started out being about the background pattern - Klimpt-ish in nature. And then I stretched it into the fur, and allowed it to slowly take over everything but the eyes. And then I took a serious look at the painting, and it was no longer about the cat, but the pattern. Poor Samson had taken a back seat. I couldn't allow that. So once the glazes dried, I repainted his fur, and Samson was back in all his glory. You can still pick out bits of the pattern if you look really closely. But now the painting has a strong focal point - those yellow-green eyes. There's no battle going on between them and anything else. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for forwarding these messages to your friends and family, Talk to you tomorrow, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings http://www.paintingadogad...

"Mop Head (Poiret)," 4x5, commissioned teacup poodle portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). Talk about having a good time - I really should have photographed this piece as it progressed. The canvas was originally all a dark violet, like what you see between Poiret's eyes, and I gradually built up the layers of paint, adding lavendars, pinks, periwinkle and some teal. I used glazes to push some areas of his fur back, and then went in with looser lighter brushwork to pull bits of his fur forward. I had even more fun because I was trying out some new brushes, experimenting with their spring and shape. I am really hard on my brushes, so historically have bought cheap ones that don't hold their shape so well. I learned today that proper tools make a world of difference in the sort of brushwork I can lay down, and how quickly I can do it, too. And despite scrubbing to my hearts' content, these brushes have held up and are ready for more abuse...

"Tortie Kitten," 4x5, tortoiseshell kitten portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $105. $21 from the purchase of this painting will go to the Oakland Pet Fund ( http://www.oaklandpetfund.org/ ) - you can read more about their mission to eliminate euthanasia from Oakland County shelters by 2010 at their website. I am proud to support their efforts through the Painting a Dog a Day project - inquiries about purchasing this piece may come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . This is a Spice Girl kitty. Her mother was picked up as a stray along with a litter of kittens, and when we were at the shelter last week, there were 3 babies left and momma. Each kitten was named after a spice, and I cannot remember if this one was Ginger or Clove. But I loved her markings, and how one side of her face was markedly lighter and oranger than the other. And I promised you a bonus painting, too, as this week was a short one (at least for me). Hence the brindled sharpei mix,a tender size at 4x...

"Shepherd Mix Pup," 6x12, puppy portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the Oakland Pet Fund, dedicated to turning Oakland County ( http://www.oaklandpetfund.org/ ) into a euthanasia free community by 2010. This pup's tag said she was 2 years old, yet her scrawny build led one to believe she was much younger than that. She had an honest and earnest face, the sort of dog that devotes itself to its family. I hope that she finds one by the year's end. She was only one of dozens of dogs waiting to be adopted, and twice as many cats. It was so tough going into that shelter, knowing that we couldn't take them all home with us. Not even one. (Well, at least not last week.) You can view her and the other animals in waiting at www.oakgov.com/anmlctrl . . Adoption isn't the only way you can help out. Consider donating your time. Picking up an extra cat toy or two. Or donating old leashes, collars, and blankets. Toge...

"Ole Blue Eye," 8" square, mixed breed dog portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, $180. $36 from the sale of this portrait will be donated to the Oakland Pet Fund ( http://www.oaklandpetfund.org/ ), an organization dedicated to turning Oakland County Michigan into a no more homeless pets community by 2010. This is a sweet lab and border collie mix that was at the Oakland Pet Adoption Center (248-391-4100) last week - his expression was so endearing. Even crated, he appeared gentle, although very energetic. And peering from the depths of his crate, that one blue eye glowed with anticipation. A game of frisbee, perhaps? Or just a good ear scratch. He got the ear scratching. And with some luck he'll also get a new forever home for the holidays. As with my other paintings, this piece is available for purchase to the first buyer. Email inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Any commissions booked during December 2007 of animals adopted from the Oakland Pet Ado...

ARTIST'S NOTE: I framed this piece up exquisitely, and sent it to the Starkweather Gallery for their Members Show. The painting was one of the first sales of the show. I wish the purchasers many years of enjoyment with this kitty. "Calico," 8"x16" (this is a small painting, yet is larger than lifesize!), $300. $60 from the purchase price of this piece will go to the Oakland Pet Fund, an organization dedicated to making Oakland County Michigan euthanasia free by 2010. Learn more about their mission at http://www.oaklandpetfund.org/ . SOLD. I wanted to give this dear little cat a better title, given the healing that she supplied me with last week (read November 28th's post on this blog, the one with the brittany portrait), but nothing came to me that didn't sound hokey or fake. So I decided to keep it simple, and titled it for both the background and her markings. Yes, this is the calico who, in her own way, helped my son and I come to better terms with t...

I cannot begin to tell you what a fantastic weekend it was. I left early Friday morning and boarded a plane to California for the AKC Eukanaba National Championships Dog Show, returning lat last night. The entire weekend was phenomenal. The dogs were stellar, all primped and primed for their moment, and the AKC staff went out of their way to make me comfortable (thank you!). The show participants generously allowed me to take as many photos as I liked (well over 500!), and the public who stopped by for their own signed copy of the commemmorative poster were eager to share their own stories. I even met several dog-a-day readers, which was a wonderful treat! And, for those of you who have been patiently waiting, signed posters are available for purchase online, through the American Kennel Club website. Posters are $25 (which includes shipping), and those funds go directly to Take the Lead, a non-profit benefitting those 2-legged folk at the other end of the leash. I am especially ...