Paintings With Soul

"Present," 12" x 19", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a solid and gentle giant draft horse. He's walking away from the viewer, but his ear is rotated, and he's paying careful attention. This original painting will be a stunning focal point where ever it gets hung.. It is $600 with complimentary shipping inside the US.  Can I ship it to your home? let me know . Allowing the paint to drip, run and bleed (like I did in the bottom half of the painting) gives a spontaneous quality to the composition. Just one of the many ideas that I'm working on collectively - it's like a bomb has gone off in the studio, with all the drawings, sketchbooks, panels and stretched canvases piled about. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Butterfly," 9" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, accented with gold leaf, depicting a lively and delicate little filly in a sea of analogous spring-like color. This personality packed original painting is $649, with complimentary shipping inside the US.  Can I ship it to your home? let me know . Butterfly might look familiar - she's gone through several incarnations over the last 18 months. Some paintings take longer than others to be seen to fruition, and often I recognize that a piece isn't complete, but I don't know exactly what it needs. So I have to just be patient. Meanwhile, back at the homefront, another snow day and another sick day (poor Princess). Everyone else is working night shifts, so I escaped earlier for some fresh air. I loaded up on new reads at the library. Stopped for an armload of fresh flowers. Also bought cookies and a case of wine. It could be a long weekend. And they are predicting more snow for us n...

"Dapples," 11" x 16", acrylics on museum quality panel, accented with gold leaf, depicting a dappled gray Arabian. This stunning original painting is $999, with complimentary shipping inside the US.  Can I ship it to your home? let me know . Lots and lots of snow here, which means no school, no carpools, no errands. Just music and books and painting. This is my kind of life! (until we run out of cookies, then things will get a little desperate). Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Three views of the same painting, lit from the left, the center and the right. "Neptune," 9" x 12", acrylics on copper panel, depicting a dark bay pony. This portrait is $849, with complimentary shipping inside the US.  Let me know if you want Neptune in your home and we will make it happen! It's difficult to photograph copper so that you get a proper sense of the light and reflective quality. I'm figuring things out here, though, so that I can best show these paintings off. I am also working on getting back into the groove after a period of not feeling well and some downright ugly starts on other pieces. With Neptune I think I might be scratching and clawing my way back. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Louie," 9" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a baby donkey with a new lease on life (keep reading!). This portrait is $539, with complimentary shipping inside the US, and 50% of the sale will go to Louie's rescue Lucky A Ranch.   Let me know if you want to adopt his painting (let Lucky A Ranch know if you want to adopt the real Louie!). Louie's Mom Peanut was rescued from a kill pen by Lucky A. They knew she was pregnant, but were told she had several months before delivery. Peanut and two other donkeys arrived at their new home late in the evening the following day. Two days - not two months! - later, Peanut delivered Louie, a perfect little 4 legged delight. He arrived in the midst of an Arizona cold spell, and was outfitted with a darling warm zig-zagged blanket to help him better weather the temperatures. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will support Lucky A Ranch in their continued rescue efforts.  Special...

FINISHED! "Stepping Out," 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a black Gypsy Vanner horse. I couldn't be happier with this piece - the color and movement and edge treatment fills me with joy. This is a special piece, I think one of my best to date, and, as such, it needs a special home.  Let me know if you think that's yours. $1299 includes complimentary shipping inside the US. This fills me with happiness - celebrating the things I love by making beauty. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

In process, "Stepping Out," 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, painting of a black Gypsy Vanner horse. I am trying out a couple new-to-me things with this panel, and so far I am very much in love with it, although the outer legs still need some shifting/adjusting. My intention is for this to be a color-blasted dark horse on a lovely harmonious ground - it'll be all about contrast, unexpected color and movement. If you are interested in purchasing this piece when finished, please let me know so I can send you an update and detail shots when it is finished. I don't want to jinx us by bragging that no one is home sick in bed any longer, so I won't mention it. Hope nobody is sick in your household, too. This year's flu is a nasty houseguest indeed. It sure is nice to be upright and pushing paint again! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Find Grace" (above) and "Just Breathe" (below), both 14" x 17", acrylics on bristol board, both in private collections. I call these mantra paintings - I start with a simple text, scrawled in giant letters on the page, and then I begin to layer marks and doodles overtop until I can pick out shapes and forms. This process is a visual meditation exercise that keeps me centered (I also do mantra paintings with not-so-nice text underneath - it's all about working through one's emotions). Valentines Day is a time to celebrate every facet of love. Which means I get to celebrate all of you.  I love your connection with my artwork and creative endeavors.  I love your commitment to your families - including 4-legged members. I love your huge hearts and all the compassionate causes they support. I love that I get to share my studio days with each of you, going on nearly 10 years now. I love that so very many o...

"Oliver," image approximately 5-1/2" square roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, acrylics, commissioned portrait of a black French Bulldog. Oliver has a home (thank you very much!), but I do have a few remaining spots for painted sketches similar to his available - details on reserving your spot are below. Email me . Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

ABOVE, Detail of "Rusty," 18" x 24", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned portrait of a yellow labrador retriever in the snow. Scroll below for a complete view along with some other, tighter detail shots - the painting is dense with subtlety and nuance. Rusty has a home (thank you so much) - but I am currently accepting a few commissions, so please email  if you are interested in talking about a custom project. I am very grateful to my collectors who gave me total artistic license to create using Rusty as muse. It feels like a collaboration of sorts - their trust and belief fueled me to push boundaries like never before. It's a remarkable sort of partnership. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Dandelion," 9" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, embellished with gold leaf, depicting a bunny rabbit. This painting is $649 with complimentary shipping inside the US - if you are interested, please  let me know .  Another muse from my Facebook bunny owners group, this is Bonnie. She belongs to JBFG, and let me tell you, this woman is a powerhouse, nurturing/raising/releasing all sorts of orphaned/abandoned baby animals. She's got me thinking about a series of squirrel paintings this spring.... that is, if I can stop painting rabbits! What would you like to see me paint next? Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

ABOVE "Legs," 24" x 36", acrylics on museum quality panel, portrait of an Arabian filly. There's layers of marks here that one really has to get in close to fully appreciate, and they build up a remarkable play between lost and found edges. I've included a detail below so that you can get a sense of how varied and subtle the surface is. This painting is $4299 with complimentary US s&h directly to your door. This is a chestnut filly, so she's growing up sassy and opinionated, like all chestnut filly's do. She is looking for a home that is equally sassy - if you think it might be yours,  let me know . For those interested in the creation of Legs, there are  in process photos online .  Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Chillin (Oliver)," 9" x 9", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting therapy bunny Oliver. This painting is $399 with complimentary shipping inside the US - if you are interested, please  let me know .  Oliver and I met via a Facebook group for rabbit owners. The rest, as they say, is history. I'm very grateful to Oliver's mom MT for allowing me to paint Chillin using her photos. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com