Paintings With Soul

  IN PROCESS: Above, detail of one of eight equines in "From Behind," pictured in it's entirety below. This panel is 36" x 11", depicting Thoroughbred racehorses on the track, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel. Inquiries may come  to me .     Above, the inspiration photo which I took at Saratoga Racetrack several summers ago (Please do not copy or create your own artwork from this photo). I'm moving horses about and have given the lead ones a bit more space to run into, which helps balance out their momentum. I'm also simplifying the background so that the focus stays in the foreground on that far left horse, right where I want it.         This is a very large (especially by Dog a Day standards) 36" wide painting.   You can see the early stages of the piece, including the fabulous Quinacridone Red Light and Ultramarine Violet underpainting, on  the studio's Facebook page .   I'll continue uploading images of the p...

  "Sweetpea," nearly 5" x 4" roughly centered on an 8" x 10" paper, a commissioned sketch done in paint, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Sweetpea is a doll, isn't she?   She's a rescued chihuahua-doxie mix with quite the personality. She skitters in lieu of walking and is rather clumsy, yet endearing. She can launch herself onto the couch after lapping the family room to get up speed. And she loves drive by face slurps.   And soaking up a little sunshine, too.   I'm looking forward to hearing the reaction from Sweetpea's Dad when he opens his birthday gift, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Fever   The Princess has some sort of virus and has been hanging with me in the studio instead of going to school.   Today we worked together on Carla Sonheim's  Silly5 Class , an online workshop that tied up today but I hadn't even had a chance to start (and you can still sign up ...

      Have you been enjoying the monthly desktop calendars built from my favorite Painting a Dog a Day pieces? I hope so!!   To implement, simply download the calendar file  directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link.   I am by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.    March is sized to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how this file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impa...

"Beauty Rest," 11" x 14", portrait of a mixed breed rescue, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, not currently for sale. Inquiries may come  to me . You saw a detail of this one in process only  yesterday , so I know that you recognize and remember Daisy, one of the  Dog a Day Valentine's Giveaway finalists . In process pics of Daisy's special portrait - including yesterday's morning painting session and my late night rendezvous in the studio, are on  the studio Facebook page . I have big plans for this painting, and cannot wait to share it with viewers. Enjoy the weekend and thanks so much for supporting my artwork - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com What Daisy Taught Me I am not a patient painter. I want to get right to work, the good stuff, and have it done 10 minutes ago. That's why fast drying acrylics are a good match for me. And probably also why my style has evolved to include drawing marks amid wide swaths of paint. ...

  IN PROCESS: Detail of "Beauty Rest," 11" x 14", portrait of a mixed breed rescue, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, not currently for sale. Inquiries may come  to me .         This is Daisy, one of the  Dog a Day Valentine's Giveaway finalists .   Her painting is a big one by Dog a Day standards, at 11" x 14", but I wanted her portrait to carry an oversized dose of personality and color - it has to reflect her, after all! And this is just one tiny corner of the whole panel.    In process pics of Daisy's portrait are on  the studio Facebook page  - if you take a peek, you can see how I structured a multi-valued underpainting to roughly match up with the composition, and the photos will take you through my drawing process (done with a paintbrush into wet paint), the initial block in (where I start to establish values and patterning across the panel), and additional layers of marks.   You'll even see whe...

  "Twilight," 5" x 8", portrait of a well-loved Beagle, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, not currently for sale but reproductions available soon. Inquiries may come  to me .         I've painted the rescued and elderly Jessie  before , and when I recently put a call out for senior muses, her Mom reminded me that I had photos on hand in their file.   I immediately remembered the photos, especially the one where Jessie's shadow stretched out before her like a lifetime of memories.   And that is what I painted today, using a series of glazes to build up a background that just glows with color and soft light.   This painting is headed to an exhibition, the Canine Art Guild's show featuring "Old Friends." I need one more muse to complete my entries - do you have any ideas? email me !   Thanks for supporting my artwork!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   My New Favorite   Even in the early stages,...

  "Got Milk II," 5" x 12", Gypsy Vanner mare and foal painting done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, for sale via gallery representation. Inquiries may come  to me .         Another piece that is hopefully heading to a new gallery.   Tomorrow, I promise, I'll return to the dogs!!   And to a regular routine - The Monkeys (aka kids) have been home the last couple days on a mid-winter's break. Who's idea is this whole "mid-winter break" thing? Don't The Powers That Be know that there's work to be done?  Work that doesn't happen when there's bickering, front doors left open, extra monkeys in the house, the TV going full blast, blah blah blah blah blah.   In process pics of "Got Milk II" are on the  studio's facebook page .   Now to get a good night's sleep so that I can be extra efficient in getting everyone on the bus with a full belly in the morning (insert evil laugh) - Kim ksantini@turtledoved...

  "Pink," 6" x 12", pastural scene done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, for sale via gallery representation. Inquiries may come  to me .         I am working on a collection of paintings that I hope to be sending next month to a new gallery - a space that's new to me and new to it's community. The contracts are not yet signed, so I'll hold off on sharing details until everything is finalized, but rest assured that I will shout this news from the mountaintops when all is official.   Meanwhile, I'm researching the area and putting together some new work for them to review along with a half dozen or so favorites from my archives.   "Pink" is part of this grouping and could be shipped out soon, if the gallery owner agrees that Pink'll be a good fit with the artists' she's representing.    In other news, I survived the weekend's Dance Convention very nicely, thank you. And earned myself an invitation into a balle...

  "Hello Kitty," 6" square, commissioned portrait of an orange tabby cat, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .         Dexter's a wonderful, cuddly cat who can't get enough of snuggling. Given that he also loves to sleep in the crook of someone's arm, this seemed like an appropriate pose for his portrait.   Psst - this painting is a birthday gift for Dexter's Dad, so if you know his family, please help us keep the secret.   Psst again - if you want to gift something as amazing as a pet portrait,  shoot me a note . I'm fairly certain we can work something out!!   Now I'm off for a dance convention with The Princess this weekend, sketchbook in tow. While she's studying with a variety of dance instructors, I'll be sketching the dancers.   That's a combined 16 hours of life drawing come Sunday.   Pray for me (life drawing was never my strong suit!!) - Ki...

  "The Quackers," 4" x 11", done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, not for sale. Inquiries may come  to me .         A girlfriend sent a distraught email yesterday - it appeared that a neighbor's dog had delivered an untimely death to her children's pet ducks.   My heart broke.   The Quackers were incubated in their home and hand raised by her four children. They were more than just egg layers or grub eaters - they were family members and a vehicle for teaching some incredible life lessons.   But this particular life lesson could have been skipped entirely.   RIP, Quackers.    I hope this painting arrives in time for a certain someone's birthday. I wrote on the back, "Hold tight to your memories and The Quackers will always be close."   Thinking of those who have lost loved ones today, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     In news at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, Ms Poo (painte...

  Introducing your Painting a Dog a Day Valentine's Giveaway Winner, Violet: "Shake That," 8" x 10", portrait of a lab mix, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, my Valentine's Day gift to Violet's family. Inquiries may come  to me .         I hadn't yet made up my mind as to which of  the 14 finalists  would be my Valentine muse when I punched out yesterday.   Then I dreamt that Violet was with me. All nite, she kept showing up in the most random places, rubbing her wet body against my legs and shaking her thing. Although I was dreaming, I could feel the cold water and sandy grit (and no, the kitten wasn't sneezing on me!).    This morning a good tooth brushing took care of the wet dog smell, and after a buge mug of tea to warm my bones I decided she needed to be on my easel (I didn't want to be chased by her all nite again!!).   I think things turned out very well. I hope that Violet's family agrees!!   ...

      Thanks to everyone who played along with the Painting a Dog a Day Valentine's Giveaway by sending me photos of their dog, cats, horses and llamas!! This year we had 42 families enter and narrowing the choices down was very difficult. I suppose if this is the toughest my job ever gets, I have it darned easy, right?   But meanwhile,  the finalists are up!!  you can view the top entries in this year's Painting a Dog a Day Valentine's Giveaway on the studio's Facebook page,  right here .**   I chose images that made me ache to paint them - some may seem obvious for their sense of humor or dramatic lighting, others perhaps only I can see the potential - but the common thread in all these references is that they touched my creative core.   So  one of these photos  will be the inspiration for tomorrow's Valentine's Day painting.   And that painting will shortly be winging it's way to the muses' home - this is the ann...