Paintings With Soul

"Cheyenne," 5" x 7", commissioned portrait of a frisbee-loving aussie, done in acrylics on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come to me . A sweet little treasure painted earlier that I couldn't share because she was a Christmas gift. Cheyenne was the perfect candidate for capturing attitude, energy and movement inside a small frame. Thanks for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

  Ursula, commissioned portrait of an Australian Shepherd, done in acrylisc on paper, image roughly 4" x 5" centered on a 9" x 12" paper. Private collection (THANK YOU!)     I planned on working on sketches all day, but got sidetracked by following an idea into my own sketchbook. Like Alice, I fell down the rabbit hole for a little.   It was a marvelous adventure!   Oh, and thanks, too, for helping me title  yesterday's painting ! "Curtain Call" it is!!   Now I'm off to a Lacrosse game - let's hope The Caped Crusader brings home a win for his Dad's birthday!   Thanks so much for supporting my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Clementine," a commissioned painted sketch, image approximately 5" x 6" roughly centered on a 9" x 12" paper, acrylics, depicting an Aussie pup. In process pics of Clem's portrait can be found on  the studio's Facebook page .       Oh boy, did it feel good to dig into the paints today! I'm off to run carpools, but will be back later tonite to play some more.   Best mental health fix ever!! Fondly,  Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Beare," 6" square, commissioned portrait of an Aussie, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel. Beare has a home (THANK YOU!) but I'll be happy to  answer any questions you might have  about getting one of my paintings in to your own home.   It's been busy here - I'm now offering gift certificates to anyone wishing to gift a portrait for the holidays. Gift certificates are customized and full color, and can be emailed for easy-peasy shopping.   Let me know  if you want to be added to the A-List of gift-givers, Kim, who is down to her last week of holiday commissions before punching out until the New Year - how did this happen? ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    

"Greta," 8" square, commissioned portrait of a mixed breed dog, acrylics on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). Greta's blessed her family with 18 years of love and companionship - she was well due her time on the easel. In-process photos of her portrait are available on  the studio Facebook page . There's lots more paintings where Greta came from - just  shoot me an emal  and we can plan your own portrait. I'm currently booking for 2013 (think Valentine's Day.....) and can deliver a gift certificate well in time for the holidays. Fondly, Kim, who is off to mail five holiday gift paintings to their new homes ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Little Masked Man (Aussie Pup)," 4" x 6", Australian Shepherd puppy portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, $199. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will support my shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center, who by the way, just announced they will hit their goal of being a no kill shelter by 2010!!!   Inquiries may come to me .   Those curious to hear how the Oakland Pet Adoption Center tackled the problem of homeless pets in our community may read more about it here.   The inspiration for this painting came from photos submitted by a Dog-a-Day reader who does fostering and rescue work. Last fall she sent multiple pics of this litter, and I fell in love. I've got another painting in process on the easel - red and blue merled pups.   I know I've fallen a little behind on my email and client correspondence, but was smacked silly today when I sat down to prep contact sheets and realized I had no photos from any of the four clients booked for th...

"Joe," 8" square, dog portrait starring an australian shepherd, acrylic on canvasboard, $349 to the first taker. Inquiries may always come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This piece looks so blah on the computer. In real life, Joe is all aglow with light, you can see the waves of his fur, and practically hear him panting. Again, I want to mention the painting I have listed on ebay. The auction ends today around 8pm EST. http://t.ymlp67.com/wsaxaujqacahbwakausue/click.php is the link you need to view and bid!! Thanks, as always, for looking my paintings and sharing them with your friends and family. See you tomorrow, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/

This little dog is named Dusty, short for “Dust Bunny,” so named because that’s what she looked like as a puppy. The pressure was on, to paint as creative a painting as her name dictated. I tried something new this time. I added a few new colors to my palette, and then reached for another couple new ones at the very end. There’s a nice variety of blues and violets in the merling, and some surprising dashes of pink among the orange bits. “Australian Shepherd (Dusty),” 4”x6”, dog portrait on canvasboard, private collection. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family. Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings http://www.paintingadogaday.com/ come. sit. stay. enjoy the art. Founding member of the Canine Art Guild http://www.canineartguild.com/ the gateway to canine art on the web

Today I tackled a photo submitted by a Dog-a-day reader and fellow artist. She admitted that the photo wasn’t of the greatest quality – Boomer is primarily black, and the picture was taken in the snow, so there was a lot of contrast and not much detail. But there was all sorts of fur, the wispy kind that I adore, so it was easy to get sucked in. I did have some issues determining his exact markings – were those highlights on his fur, or merling? But the resulting piece has some nice color and brushwork. And I wouldn’t mind painting him again, maybe bigger, and really getting to go to town on his ruff and blaze. That’s one of the great side effects of doing these little pieces – it’s becoming more obvious (to me) what sorts of things I truly enjoy painting. Boomer is one of them! “Australian Shepherd Study (Boomer),” 4x4, acrylic on canvasboard, $50. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these with friends and family. Kim K...

"Pete (Australian Shepherd Study)," a 6"x8" dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $80. SOLD. This is yet another commissioned Dog-a-Day painting. They are as easy as sending a handful of digital photos to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com , then pulling up a chair, and waiting your turn. I do have a few Dog-a-Day spots left prior to the holidays, for those of you hunting for that perfect gift - inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Thanks, as always, for looking. And please, share!! Feel free to send this to interested friends and family. The more the merrier! Kim STUDIO: www.turtledovedesigns.com PAINTING A DOG-A-DAY PROJECT: www.paintingadogaday.com