Sigh, A Gratitude Painting

"Sigh," from "The Gratitude Series,"** 10" x 6-1/2", portrait of a silvery Great Dane Pup, done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel, $449. And since the muse for this painting hailed from Ohio Great Dane Rescue, proceeds from the sale of this painting will benefit them. Inquiries may come to moi.

I had an entirely different concept when I set up to paint today. I wanted the pup smaller on the canvas, with her entire body draped sveltly across the painting. But each time I blocked her in, she wanted to be bigger. I'd rub her out and start over, and every time she returned, she was flowing over the edges.

So I stopped fighting, and just let her be.

This will be another of my entries for this year's Canine Art Guild's "Helping Paws: All Creatures Great and Small" exhibition. This is an online show that supports animal welfare through the artists' philanthropy (each piece's sale benefits a specific animal welfare group) and awards (cash prizes go not to the artist, but to the animal welfare groups).

The online show will go live in December, but meanwhile I am getting my entries ready. I'm looking for one more muse; they have to be a rescued pet hailing from a 501c rescue group that is still functioning. You may email non-flash photos to me for consideration - and THANK YOU!!

Meanwhile, don't forget - grownUPs Journalling class tonite at Little Monsters in downtown Lake Orion, 6-8pm.

Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS In-process shots of "Sigh" are on the studio's Facebook page.

**"The Gratitude Series" of paintings stars rescued animals who have found new homes. Proceeds from the sale of these paintings (including reproductions) are earmarked to support the groups that gave the animals a second - sometimes a third - chance at life.

In Memory of K9 Cade

Last summer, Burton (Michigan) police dogCade was killed in an accident. In his memory, multiple groups in this community have rallied together, hosting a fundraiser tomorrow evening.

Their goal? To raise $10,000 through the sale of sloppy joes and raffle tickets - just enough money to bring a new police dog to town.

I am proud to support this effort (my sister-in-law works for one of the organizations involved) by donating a Painting a Dog a Day gift certificate valued at $250.

If you are in the Flint area, you are invited tostop by and help a community help itself.

Thanks so much!

“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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