Partners in Crime

"Partners in Crime (Mona Lisa)," 6" x 8", painting of my studio kitten, done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel, $329 to the first one asking nicely. A donation will also be made to the Oakland Pet Adoption Center when Mona's painting sells.

For those of you new to Painting a Dog a Day, we adopted a teeny 2 lb Mona Lisa in early September from our local shelter. She had been dumped somewhere, all alone, and was picked up by an animal control officer before she got herself into trouble.

She's quite a little spark in our household, keeping us all on our toes, even in the dark of night. She's mastered snuggling under covers, purring at your feet, playing blanket monster, and hogging the pillow.

Someone tucked a sock monkey into the basket where she lounges during the day (my reference photo is near the bottom of today's blog). She scoops her body right in between Monkey's arms and legs and builds quite a nest for herself.

It's wonderful having a kitten in the house again.

Wanna see the other Mona paintings? They have sold, but you can order reproductions or notecards from myFineArtAmerica site. I'll be adding "Partners in Crime" to the site later today.

Go off now and enjoy your weekend!

Thanks, as always, for supporting my artwork!

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS Are you thinking about 10% off newly booked commissions ?? the commission has to be booked during January, but can happen at any time of this year. Shoot me an email if you are interested!

2011 = Savor

Every year I choose a word that represents the goals I've set for myself. This is an idea I borrowed from art quilter Lisa Call (if you are an artist, regardless of your media, and you don't read her blog, you are missing out big time!).

I've been pondering much the last few weeks about what word would work best for me. Past years included "Focus" and "Listen," reminders of how much I want to learn and grown.

Not that I'm done with learning or growing, but I am guilty of getting too caught up in it all. I have to remember to slow down and take things in properly. If I can master this, in turn I'll gather even more from my days.

Hence my choice for this year. Savor.

(I'd be lying if I didn't also mention how appealing the connection was between my word and a favorite activity - cooking and eating!)

“Katie’s Moustache,” 6x12, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . One glimpse of Katie’s face, and I was hooked. Not only did she fall into my beloved “black & white” category, but she came with a full moustache and doe-like eyes. I first covered the canvas with a variety of blues and purples, using a (mixed) light green and pink for the highlights. (Right now my palette has been expanded to include the following: pthalo blue red, azurite hue, cad red dark, alizarine crimson, cad yellow dark, and then for graying/hazing out I use light green yellow and ultramarine purple.) I lighten with titanium white and darken with one of the blues and a touch of one of the reds. As a side note, at this time last year I was really struggling with my limited palette (I went from about 60 pots of paint to 3), but I have lived the benefits – I am so much more familiar with what I can mix given just this handful of colors. My paintings are also m...

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...

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...

Paintings With Soul

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