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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 household tasks that have been piling up around here (like completing that baby blanket I was knitting for my nephew who is now almost a year old!).

I'll be painting every day still, but working on that larger canvas, another even larger triple horse portrait, and a small number of paintings that I want to submit to winter exhibitions. I will not be posting every day, but will do so as the opportunity presents itself.

I'm also planning on building a page on my website that highlights dog-a-day paintings that could not be shared without ruining surprises - I will post an announcement when that is completed.

I will officially return to Painting a Dog a Day on Monday, January 7th, with the first Animal Welfare Week of 2008. I will check in periodically between now and then - after all, you know me - I'm not one to stay quiet for long. :)

But meanwhile, I'll share my favorite of today's paintings with you.


"Burton," 6x12, commissioned shepherd mix, pet portrait acrylic on canvasboard. This one is especially nice to me because of the color temperature shifts - how the darks change from cool to warm as they mold the dog's head, shoulders, and muzzle. What I've been studying in my class is summed up beautifully in this one painting (there's even a hint of flesh tone in Burton's cheeks!!)

Thank you very much to today's collector for giving me three wonderful faces to play with all day.

And thank you to all my readers for doing the same for the last 14 months! I so appreciate your sticking with me all this time - my wish is for all of you to have a season full of blessings and joy and wagging tails and rumbling purrs.
Happy Holidays!
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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