Paintings With Soul

  I proudly give you "Rush," 12" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, commissioned portrait of a wonderfully personable and dearly missed pointer, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries, though, may always come  to me - I can do this sort of thing with your dog (or cat or horse or bunny.....). Just imagine.....   In process pics of Rush's portrait are also on  the studio Facebook page . Feel free to check in over there and comment on my process or art in general.           THIS is why I love my job. All the other nonsense melts away when I am able to stand at my easel, slip into my zone, and pull do this sort of thing seemingly out of nowhere.   Rush was a shelter dog who arrived with a gunshot wound to his knee and no other information. He ultimately ended up with his forever home, a family that nursed him to health with unconditional love, via a shelter employee who noticed Rush's usual even temperment was changing...

I didn't post yesterday, but not because I wasn't working. I was painting like a mad woman (and posting regular updates to  the studio's Facebook page ) but also pondering.     Inspiration vs imitation?  Where does one end and the other start? How do we identify the boundaries of an idea and see how it's propigated? And what ideas are fresh? Is there even such a thing as a fresh or new idea?   I got to thinking how no one can own a style or approach or even a compositional idea, and isn't it amazing how the same spark of inspiration can send different brains in different directions.   Inspiration comes in all forms. I am not the first - or last - artist to paint a particular perspective or silhouette.   But where does inspiration fall by the wayside? When does inspiration become a crutch, leading directly to imitation?   This was precipated by my discovery yesterday of a daily painter like myself, one who enjoys painting animals too. And one...

  "Maiden," from  The Saratoga Series , 9" x 11", acrylic on museum quality panel, available to the first one asking nicely for $469. Inquiries may come  to me .   This is a piece  I began  back in 2010 with great intentions, but I got intimidated. I set it aside, waiting for divine intervention to step up and help me finish. Divine intervention never arrived, but with the accumulated miles of a few years' work under my brush, I was able to pull it together and sign off yesterday.   My biggest challenge was controlling the level of detail in the horses and using that as one of my primary factors in building depth of field. And my original painting had some major proportion and drawing errors (of which I hopefully corrected!!).   In process photos of the piece's recent progress can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .          Apologies in advance to all the Painting a Dog a Day fans who are n...

      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.    April 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...

"Huxley," a painted sketch, image sized approximately 4" x 7" on an 8" x 10" paper, commissioned portrait of an Australian Shepherd headed to a private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .   In process photos of this painting can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .          We've got a crazy busy couple of days ahead - drumline practice, dance class, two State Solo and Ensemble performances, a drumline competition, a journalling workshop, a couple hours of volunteer work, two sleepovers, hmmm, what else?   Oh yeah! tickets to The Hunger Games. Tonite! I can't wait!   Hope everyone has a great weekend, no matter their plans, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

  "Knead You," 8" x 10", acrylic on museum quality panel, available to the first one asking nicely for $499; returning collectors pay only $449. Inquiries may come  to me .   In process photos of this painting can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .          I've painted Coco and Puff before. And their little dog, too.   Funny story about the dog - when I first met Coco about 9 years back she was just a kitten, newly enamored of this little stuffed toy from a Happy Meal. However, said doggie was hidden in a secret spot when our photo shoot was scheduled, so I didn't get to meet him. When he re-materialized the next day, my client tucked him into my mailbox.   However, she didn't know we had moved across town days prior, and I never got the message that the dog was in there waiting for me.   A good amount of time went by before we put two and two together. It was quite a conversation when I showed up un...

  "Curl," 6" x 8", acrylic on museum quality panel, available for $329. Inquiries may come  to me .   In process photos of this painting can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .          Does anyone remember Curl, one of  the Dragon Slayer contestants from this past summer ? His is a face destined to grace many a painting.   I had a blast painting today - Curl's face on the easel coupled with the company of The Princess, who had the day off school. She worked in her journal, finessing this weekend's kids journalling lesson (puppet affirmations created with stencils and collage). We also belted out quite a bit of Adele and ate oreos and mango (an odd, yet delightfully satisfying, combination).   We are off to ballet class shortly - so that she can sweat at the barre while I sweat over my gesture drawings of the ballerinas.   Meanwhile, I hope you have a fantastic evening!   Thanks for followin...

  "Patches," 10" square, commissioned portrait of a shepherd mix, acrylic on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .   In process photos of this painting can be viewed on  the studio's Facebook page .    (And for the record, any of you who can see a line seeimingly traced across Patches face, that is just residual from Photoshop piecing multiple scans together - it is not really on the painting!)       Patches was a quiet and pensive guy, the happiest when he was at his "boy's" side. Which he was, pretty much every moment he could be. Over the course of 14 years, they were only apart about 20 days.   And now Patches' painting will grace his "boy's" home.   They find a way to stay with us, in our hearts and stories, in our dreams, and if we are lucky, in photographs and artwork.   It was an honor to paint Patches' memory for his family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns...

Blame it on the sunshine. Or the poor night's sleep I got. Or the outstanding news I received this morning (keep on reading).   Whatever the reason, I have little to no concentration and am flitting from one thing to another in the studio.   Tomorrow I will buckle down.   But meanwhile, I'll share some of Kiki Kelly's recent works. They are always fun to look at (at least I think so), and they all sorta connect with the reasons why I'm so distracted today.   Kiki doesn't have a website up, but notecards and reproductions of her work can be ordered  here .   Happy Monday to you all! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   "Applause," 11" x 14", multi media piece stemming from a community celebration surrounding good books and even better readers (read more below, but consider yourself warned - it's a Mom Brag)   "In Like a Lion," 11" x 14", multi media piece inspired by the bipolar weather patterns March 2012 presented...

"Sigh," just one of a handful of my original paintings on hand at Mackinaw Island's newest gem, Mackinaw's Little Gallery. Gallery opens in May 2012. Inquiries may come to gallery staff .         I am absolutely delighted to announce that Mackinaw Island's newest business, Mackinaw's Little Gallery, will be representing my artwork this coming season.   The gallery sits on Market Street in the heart of  this charming island , a place steeped in history, a slower paced lifestyle, spectacular landscape and carriage horses (cars are not allowed on the island).   The space will open in May with an international collection of equine and animal themed work. MLG will add to the community's festivals and events by inviting artists (myself included) for live paints, demonstrations, and classes/workshops.   Perhaps I'll get a chance to see you there?   Fingers and toes crossed, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   A sp...