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Gracie's Throne

"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, "Happily Ever After," at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary this August.

And of course I'll be drumming up votes for my campaign to be the newest Daily Painter. I'm roughly 50 votes out of first place - please vote one final time (this is the last stage of the competition) at the Daily Painters site. It takes all of 30 seconds to grab the link and vote 5 stars for my paintings - and then you can go make yourself a drink and kick back to celebrate the weekend.

Deal?

Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends and family.
Kim

TWITTER: ksantini
SHOP ORIGINALS & LIMITED EDITION GICLEES: at my Etsy shop
ORDER CUSTOMIZED NOTECARDS & REPRODUCTIONS: at Imagekind
COMMISSION A PET PORTRAIT: contact me
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE: contact me
READING MATERIAL: Preview and order each of the Dog a Day books at the publisher's website: The First Year (2006-2007) and That's 14 in Dog Years (2008). If you would like your copy personalized, order them through me.
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