Paintings With Soul

"Snow Bunny (Laika)," 8" square, acrylic on panel, commissioned pet portrait of a rescued mixed breed (Husky-retriever mix?), private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . Laika joined her family after they lost another dear rescue, Hachi (who I've also painted - you can see his portrait here ). Laika was discovered at a rescue event, and her peeps fell head over heels in love with her sweet nature and gloriously soft fur. Looking to add another member to your family? Check with your local shelter to learn more about adoption events in your area. There's so many wonderful companion animals looking for new homes - and it could be yours!! Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com www.paintingadogaday.com FACEBOOK: Kimberly Kelly Santini TWITTE...

"Curly Flanks," 8" x 10", Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, $469 and headed home to the first one asking nicely. Inquiries (portraits start at $29 and make incredible gifts) may always come to me . I love love love the abstract elements of this painting. Flip it in any direction, squint way down, and it's still beautiful. I know it's been quiet - at the end of last week, I took a few days off to celebrate my brother's wedding. It was the perfect weekend with family (the Kelly family is a big and most excellent one) and old friends (also most excellent!). I returned to the studio refreshed and ready to paint. However the painting bit didn't happen till later in the day - this morning was spent with a photographer and videographer from the press (I'll keep you posted on that!), mid-morning involved email responses (I'm still about 300 messages behind, but am working on them in the order received), and the afternoon was consumed ...

"Bull," 8" x 7" sketch, done in Golden Open Acrylics on multimedia artboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, sketches starting at $29) may always come to me . Bull is also a gift, so if you know his family, please keep this hush hush. We don't want to ruin the surprise. A special welcome to the new Dog a Day readers who have wandered over from the Daily Painter's site - glad to have you here!! I try to create 4-5 new pet portraits each week, and share a little bit about my subjects or my process or whatever seems pressing at the moment. Welcome to the club! However, that said, I'm punching out for the remainder of the week. Please don't take offense - my brother is getting married (and I cannot wait to gather with my extended family to celebrate a new sister)! Then on Sunday I have my first Creative Journalling workshop session - 12 students ready to put pen to paper and express themselves, w...

"The Arch," 16" square, Golden Open acrylics on a cradeled panel, depicting Capri's famous Arch, the spot where my neice was proposed to by her other half. This painting is the newest addition to their art collection, a nice reminder of how far they have come - and how far they have yet to go, especially as parents of a new baby boy. And a huge thank you to my returning collector who has pledged to purchase yesterday's painting - she's agreed to wait until I hang the "Happily Ever After" show, but "Cat-itude" will be headed her way once the show comes down. Outside of laundry and grocering, the better half of today was spent working on a new collage - the guest book for my brother's wedding, which is this weekend. I always seem to work best with a looming deadline, and this is no exception. Today I completed the signatures (including decorated frontispages and random collages on some of the pages) and finished up collaging the fron...

"Cat-itude," 10" x 20", Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, double portrait of two rescued kitties (larger than lifesized, I might add), headed to my solo show "Happily Ever Afters" at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary this August where it will be available for purchase. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, with sketches starting at $29) may always come to me . SOLD. Two things I love about this painting - well, three. The positioning of the two cats - one in your face, all serious, and the other totally laid back and casual. Their body language tells it all. The value structure creates a beautiful abstraction where their forms and negative space are effectively balanced. Squint down and you'll see what I mean - the painting reduces to a color field piece that retains visual interest. This is my first official painting as a new member of the Daily Painters Group. It is a tremendous honor to bring Painting a Dog a Day into the Daily Painte...

"Stretch (Paint Foal)," 6" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, portrait of a young paint horse, $324 to the first to raise their hand. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . This painting was inspired by a photo taken by equine photographer Juliet Harrison . She's got a tremendous eye for composition and light and I adore her work (I actually have several of her silver gelatin prints in the studio). You can imagine my excitement when she began sharing some of her photographs specifically to be used as reference photos for artwork (if you are interested, please visit the Equine Painter's Challenge blog and peruse the images she's uploaded). This little one stole my heart, and my palette, leftover from yesterday's painting, already carried all the colors I needed. It was meant to be! Painted in two sessions - an early morning and an evening stint - separate...

"Folds (Mastiff Study)," 5" x 7", acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord, portrait of a Dogue De Bordeaux, $289. Inquiries may always come to me . I found myself counting the hours as today, the last full day of school, wound down. It's a free for all come tomorrow at 12:05, when The Princess is released for the summer (Man Child and Middle Child are done earlier in the morning). First on our list ~~ slurpees. Other than that, the day will unfold as it may. There WILL be time at the easel, though. (Time's running out to cast votes in the Daily Painter's contest - the winner will be chosen at midnite Friday. I've fallen behind (still in 2nd place), but am not giving up. Cell phones, iPods, Blackberries and computers can vote at http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest . And thank you for the votes you have cast and the peeps you've recruited to support me.) Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends a...

Earlier today I sent out my latest newsletter via email. The newsletter touched on things like the Daily Painters contest ( vote!! ), my solo show at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the new sketches I'm offering, the Creative Journalling workshop I'm teaching this summer, and some other studio happenings. If you are interested in reading the newsletter, it is archived here . If you are interested in receiving the next newsletter via email, sign up to the right. Thanks so much! Kim

"Alec, Tabby," tabby cat portrait, done in Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, available for purchase. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . A few years back I remember following a work-in-process of one of my favorite artists ( Michelle Grant , who quite simply rules when it comes to painting lucious-ly) and she talked about building her composition on a triad of colors,** which I didn't really understand at all. But today I did that triad thing, and did so subconsciously, recognizing the fact when I recollected the (then laborious decision making) process of choosing a background color for Alec's sibling kitty Hammie a few years ago. Alec pretty much painted himself - there was no agonizing over anything except peanut butter crackers vs Oreos for my afternoon snack. It's a neck and neck race for top honors in the Daily Painters contest between myself and the ...

"Grace's Throne," 18" x 24", Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, commissioned pet portrait of a Chocolate Labrador Retriever, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me - and it's not too early to start thinking about the holidays, either! I couldn't get to the easel soon enough today - and while I'm sad to see Grace finished (which means she'll be leaving the studio and headed home), I've got this amazing adrenaline rush happening over the end result. Up close, the paint is very loose, with luminous layers of glaze (see the detail below). Yet from a distance, everything melds together well, presenting a bold and harmoniously colored classic portrait. Who's lined up for next week? Well, I've got two kitty commissions due and then I'm finishing up a handful of paintings for my solo exhibition, ...

Still untitled ("Grace's Throne"?), 18" x 24", Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord commissioned pet portrait of a chocolate lab and her very special chair, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me . I've been plugging away on Grace's painting this week. I find myself getting lost in the patterned chair, but then have to come back and put more color and detail in her face. After all, it's a portrait of Grace, not the wingback. What do I think works most successfully in this painting right now? Grace oozes relaxation - that's inherant to the drawing/her body language and has nothing to do with the paint/color. But the paint and color aren't so shabby either. Still a little too harsh, but after I scumble some softer glazes overtop, all will be perfect. Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artw...

FROM TOP: "Inquisitive" and "Precocious," both 9" square sketches of Gracie, a miniature salt and pepper Schnauzer, done in Golden Open Acrylics on multimedia artboard. One for my client and one for.... you! Drop me a line if you are interested. BOTH SOLD (thank you!) Gracie belongs to another artist, the amazing photographer Sarah Beth . It's clear from Gracie's eyes that she knows her job is to inspire. And that she takes said job as seriously as tormenting the cats. And when Gracie's "Mom" Sarah isn't shooting photographs of Gracie, she's working up equally gorgeous photos of her clients' dogs. I was moved to tears when reading about her session with Gryphon , a terminally ill golden. Sarah has the sort of compassion and dedication towards rescued animals and service animals that we love and respect around these parts, too. So, when you are done oogling over Sarah Beth's website, take a minute to visit the Daily Pa...

Today is my Grandmother's 90th birthday. She's pictured above with Gavin, one of her two namesake great-grandchildren (The Princess is the other, and she's got about a jillion other greats to tag along with these two). "Gomp" is the most amazing woman I know. The things she has seen - and conquered - in her lifetime make my challenges seem trivial. And she's still going strong, with a hearty laugh, a practical and healthy dose of common sense, and a smile that hugs you from across the room. She told me I could do it all, and was so convincing that I never doubted it for a second. Thanks for always believing in me, Gompie! And thank YOU, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com www.paintingadogaday.com PS Gomp says tonight is your final chance to vote her favorite grand-daughter into the Daily Painters Top 5, so get off your patooty and do it! That's what she say...

Untitled in-process painting starring Grace, a luscious Chocolate Lab. This painting is 18" x 24" (a big un!), done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord. You met Grace last month, when I painted several preparatory studies (one here , and the other here ). My client and I agreed that this was the pose with the most personality, and I got out the big brushes today. I'm showing you the early stage of Grace's almost lifesized portrait - it will take me a little more than a day to finish (although if I had my way, there'de be cerael for dinner so I could just keep painting through the night! darn it - why'd I have to thaw out a roast?). Tomorrow the top 5 artists are advanced to Round Three of the Daily Painters competition, so this is your last chance to vote in Round Two: please vote 5 gold stars for Painting a Dog a Day and help me earn a membership in this prestigious group of artists: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest . You are invited ...

"Frenchies," 8" x 10", acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord, commissioned portrait of two French Bulldogs, a work in process. Want to commission a portrait of your own? inquiries (sketches starting at $29, paintings at $209) may always come to me . This painting turned out even better than it looked inside my head. It doesn't always happen this way, but I am delighted with the color, loose modelling, and expression on Pierre and Claude's faces. I did create the process on video, however there was one 1/2 hour segment near the end where I neglected to turn the camera on after a potato chip break. I'll get the video edited and up onto the blog asap. And yes I'm going to ask one more time before the weekend: please vote 5 gold stars for Painting a Dog a Day - we remain in 2nd place by about 40 votes: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest You are invited to share the link with your friends and family and encourage them to do the same. One of my girl...

"Frenchies," 8" x 10", acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord, commissioned portrait of two French Bulldogs, a work in process. Want to commission a portrait of your own? inquiries (sketches starting at $29, paintings at $209) may always come to me . Busy day today. I am on the exhibition committee for the Michigan Thumb Area Exhibition, a juried show that celebrates it's 50th year this summer. Today myself and other committee members spent the afternoon at our local cable channel, recording two programs highlighting the history of this particular show and the importance of art in everyday lives. It was intended for our programs to include demonstrations, but we got so into our conversations that it was decided the demos would become separate programs of their own. Which means I'll head back with my paints another day. But meanwhile I returned to the studio after dinner and blocked in this double portrait, the piece I had intended to start earlier. I am eager to...

"Mrs. Pugsley," 6" square, acrylic on canvasboard, portrait of a tortoiseshell cat. I believe this painting is sold but am awaiting confirmation - let me know if you are interested and I'll be happy to start a waiting list. Or think about commissioning a portrait of your own - inquiries (sketches starting at $29, paintings at $209) may always come to me . You'll most likely get tired of reading this, but please cast a vote for this round of the Daily Painter's contest: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest If you voted in round one, give yourself a big warm hug - then check out the link and vote for round two. I'm in 2nd place by just a few dozen votes, so you truly do have the opportunity to make a difference here and get the Painting a Dog a Day artwork in front of an entirely new audience. Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com www.paintingadog...

"Lazing Around," 8" x 10", acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord commissioned pet portrait of two rescued puppy mill Cairn Terrier veterans. The origianl painting is in a private collection (THANK YOU!), but today I am pleased to offer a limited edition series of giclees. A giclee is a computer generated archival print, in this case carefully created so as to match the original as closely as possible. I will be printing only 25 of these, and once they are gone, they are gone. The giclees are done on a beautiful matte artists paper, with an image size of approximately 8" x 10". I will sign each one. The cost per is $49 plus another $15 for shipping and handling within the US. I'll be happy to quote shipping costs for anywhere else. ALSO, another announcement - thanks to your overwhelming support, Painting a Dog a Day has made it to Round Two of the Daily Painters contest!! WAHOO!! This means that the voting starts all over again - there are 10 artists rema...