It's Customer Appreciation Month !!

Pictured above is one of my favorite commissioned portraits from last year. LeeLoo is quite the little diva, all proud of herself and her spanking new collar, and you can just hear her snurgling, her presence is so tangible when standing in front of this painting.

LeeLoo's portrait summarizes what I try to do each time I pick up the brush and tackle a new personality. And I've been blessed with the painting quite a few - well over 1000 of them as of last month.

So let's keep them coming!

As a thank you to the universe for dropping the Painting a Dog a Day project in my lap (ok, there was a lot of elbow grease that went into making it happen, but I still am grateful for the opportunity presenting itself in the first place), I'm going to extend my Preferred Collector pricing to all new portraits booked through the end of this month.

All customers, whether repeat offenders or fresh-faced youngsters, will get 10% off commissioned paintings. Wanna book a portrait to commemorate an anniversary or adoption date? Wanna give a gift that'll never be forgotten? Wanna spoil yourself with a timeless treasure?

With the Preferred Collector pricing, paintings start under $200 and go up, depending upon size and complexity.

Let's get started talking about your dog and see how he will measure up to LeeLoo.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my artwork!

Happy New Year, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Thank Yous

It's the beginning of a New Year, when people take note of their blessings and lay plans to reap new ones.

I am especially grateful for your companionship along my daily painting journey. Your stories and friendships shore me up through the tougher days, and keep me grinning on the sunshiney ones.

Your business and referrals allow me to pursue my dream of painting, all from the heart of my home, which my family is also tremendously grateful for.

This year I am going to work even harder at delivering museum-quality paintings with a personal touch. I will be accepting a limited number of commissioned portraits (see my note above to get yourself on that list!), all the while continuing both "The Gratitude Project" (profiles of shelter animals from across the country) and the "At Your Service" series (paintings chronicling the lifestories of puppies from two litters of Service Dog candidates).

I'm also writing several books, editing video tutorials, establishing a workshop schedule, and adding a fresh selection of notecards and reproductions to the market.

I remain open to your ideas and suggestions as to what you would like to see come off my easel - emails can always come to me.

Cheers, Kim

Picture Book "A Dog Named Blue" - now available!!

The cover of "A Dog Named Blue," now available from Blurb publishers. When I first painted Amelia I never imagined that she would be re-christened "Blue" and inspire a book. In her defense, Amelia had a number of other partners in crime - animals who's portraits seemed to fall into a specific color category and prompt color-centric names. In typical ADD fashion, my brain started spinning 100mph. What if I turned those muses' paintings into a picture book for animal loving kids? I shared my idea with three friends in the industry, and they eagerly offered their expertise. I am truly indebted to them. Illustrator and author Matt Faulkner and children's book author and literacy expert Kristen Remenar edited an early version of the draft. They suggested key plot/conceptual changes that made it oodles better. Designer Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson worked her magic, pairing the images with perfectly color...

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...

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves, Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all. Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site? And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting. And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...

Paintings With Soul

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