Skip to main content


"Big, Bigger, Biggest (from the Tags, Toys & Treasures series)," 10" x 12", still life comprised of vintage Fisher Price toys, acrylic on panel, $440. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

I was talking to another artist the other night - he has a beautiful series of old toy still lifes going as well - and we were laughing at how we felt, going into the studio to work on setups like this. It's enough of a treat to spend the day in front of my easel, and even better when I get to paint something as packed with great memories as these toys.

I remain surprised at how much enjoyment I've gathered working with still lifes. When I took last fall's class I expected to learn new approaches to painting, but I didn't expect the sort of revolution it brought along. I'm working my way through the syllabus a third time now, reviewing my notes and repeating each lesson. The lessons are starting to blur together, as I become more comfortable with the various challenges. That is exactly my goal!

This painting represents working with objects that are high in contrast, while also incorporateing a lot of white surfaces. This forced me to model and shape forms with brushwork and color temperature shifts. It involved a lot of studied looking, squinting down at the objects, stepping back often from my canvas and the setup, and meticulously careful markmaking.

I also indulged in some very loud music - I love that with my ipod I can create a playlist that compliments the days' activities.

I know I posted about this show a few weeks back, but it's worth another mention. Hosted by the Canine Art Guild, an international fellowship of dog-loving artists, it's a very strong collection of canine art. The show can be viewed at www.canineartguild.com/gallery . There's three pages of the artists' interpretation of the show's theme "Black and White," and you can vote for People's Choice. If you haven't visited yet, take a minute to do so.

Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family.
Tomorrow it will be a return to the Painting a Dog a Day roots, with two commissioned portraits, juicy in color and bursting with personality.
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 (