NEW PAINTING Sapling

"Sapling," 16"x20", acrylic on panel, from the "Forest for the Trees" series. This piece, along with some sister pieces will be available in the very near future. Please send any questions my way and thanks so much for your interest in my artwork.

I work intuitively, which means that I have no idea or plan as to how a piece will turn out. I just show up and follow my muse. It's often a game of cat and mouse - particularly when I think I know where we are headed. I am almost always wrong. I have learned to be quiet and patient. Usually that does the trick.

There's also many, many layers of paint in these pieces. Those layers are often paintings or designs that could be considered finished works on their own accord. When I sit with them, they bloom with promise but also keep their secrets until I pick my brush up again and trust that things will work out.

With Sapling, my muse first revealed the adult version of this tree. You can see her boughs and foliage ghosted in the background. Slowly, we began peeling those limbs off, pruning with glazes of paint, until she was left to a leggy, sparsely leafed specimen. Had we gone back in time? is she remembering her youth? or is she a whisper of a tree yet to take root?

Only my muse and the tree spirits know for certain and they are all being pretty quiet.

So I thank Sapling for honoring me with her presence and move on to the next painting. I'll learn down the road what the piece is about. But for now my job is to just bring them to life.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my work,
Be well and be inspired, Kim

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Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me . Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po

“Rapt (Shadow),” from the Larger than Life series, 16”x22”, acrylic black lab mixed breed pet portrait on gallery wrapped canvas, $699. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This is Shadow, who went missing on Sunday night. He belongs to a friend of mine, and has been a fixture in our community for many years. Errant fireworks scared the silly old guy into running off, and his family is busy searching for him. (If you happen to be in the Lake Orion/Oakland County area and have seen Shadow, please call 248-391-0867 or 248-391-6817) I’m confidant that he is safe (somewhere!) and awaiting discovery, but meanwhile, couldn’t help myself from posting his portrait as today’s dog a day painting . He’s constantly on my mind, and probably will remain so, until he finds his way back home. Hug your four legged guys while you can! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ dis

NEW! Etsy Store

One of my favorite unsold paintings from 2008, "Lashes & Corkscrews," 5" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, depicting a tobiano buckskin curly horse, $289. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (but read further on how you can get a special deal on this painting!). Now it's ridiculously easy to browse my painting archives. All you have to do is visit my Etsy store . Etsy has a Shopping Cart (so you can pile it high with purchases from a variety of artists), is integrated with Paypal (although you may still pay by check if you prefer to), and is terribly simple to navigate. When the week has ended, I will have listed almost 100 of my favorite (UNSOLD!) paintings here, grouped loosely by subject matter. During 2009 I'll update the shop regularly, and add non-Dog-a-Day pieces as a bonus, thus making it easy to search for that perfect gift. Watch my daily postings for announcements, promotions and discount codes. If you do not receive the Dog-a-Day emails (

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