Paintings With Soul

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Piggie Pie," 6" square, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, $299 to the first one asking "pretty piggie please." Inquiries may come to me . This reference photo came from a collector who is very actively involved in rescue. I've earmarked the proceeds from the sale of "Piggie Pie" to go to Piggie Paradise , the pig haven at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I know she'll be pleased, and Piggie Paradise can do something special for their residents with the funds. Thanks for sharing my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com PS This painting is titled after one of my all time favorite books, Margie Palatini's "Piggie Pie." Check it out from your library and read it to a special kid! Pictured above are just a few of the props I've accumulated for the project Sweet Tooth I confirmed today that Poppyseed Deli and Fountain in downtow...

BUY NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Whiskery Clyde," 4" x 8", portrait of a black Clydesdale, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. Clyde's painting is part of my Gratitude Project , and as such, proceeds from the sale of it will go to his host shelter, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) in Kanab, Utah. "Whiskery Clyde" is $259 and will go to the first asking nicely. You can ask nicely here. Clyde is one of the Guardian Angel animals at BFAS, coming to the sanctuary when his family could no longer provide the special care his feet required. You can read all about his progress here - it's encouraging to hear how they have treated his canker and foot health. I always enjoy catching up, too, on the Guardian Angel pages . There are some very special animals at Best Friends. Switching gears, there is still lively debate happening on Katherine Tyrrell's Making a Mark Blog about derivative art , plagarism and developing your own...

SHOP ORIGINALS, NOTECARDS & REPRODUCTIONS of THERESA INSPIRED PAINTINGS "Violet," from the Theresa's Rainbow series of paintings done in 2008, 8" square, pit bull portrait depicting the diva extraordinaire Theresa from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary . This painting was done in acrylics on canvas panel and is available for purchase, either exquisitely framed ($349) or in au-naturale ($299). Please inquire . Additionally, proceeds from the sale of any/all of the Theresa imagery benefits Best Friends Animal Sanctuary . If you don't know about Best Friends, please take a minute to introduce yourself to their website and mission. A world of no more homeless pets would be a truly beautiful place. Theresa may not ever get her forever home (she's been a long-time resident at Best Friends, in part due to ongoing medical needs). In the meantime, she's been a most excellent spokes model (did you happen to catch her on National Geographic's Dogtown?)...

"Theresa's Rainbow," limited edition giclee on artist's paper, signed in margins, available in two sizes. Small giclee, image size approximately 12" x 6", $49 plus $15 s&h. Large giclee, image size approximately 24" x 12", $99 plus $15 s&h. Also still available are 4 of the original paintings that built this giclee: (identified by ball color) "Orange" (third from right, top hand row), "Yellow," "Green," and "Violet," each $299 plus s&h. Orders & inquiries may come to me . Yesterday I got the nicest letter from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) , and because Painting a Dog a Day sales have raised thousands of dollars in donations to BFAS during the past 3 years, I thought I'd share it with you. "Hello Best Friends Members, "It's been crazy at Dogtown... but a good crazy. And we just want to thank you for all your help. "When the "Vicktory" dogs arrived f...

"Suzy Q," 4" square, commissioned portrait of a mixed breed dog, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!).    This is one of those great rescue stories - straight from Suzy Q's new Mom (I added the hyperlinks):   "Suzy Q still resides in Ethiopia. Dr. Anteneh Roba is a doctor for humans but also a HUGE animal lover..... originally from Ethiopia. He has co-founded an organization to help those in need in Ethiopia - both human and non-human - called The Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation . Animals are not treated well over there. They are often abused and sometimes thrown into pits or deep caves and left to die . Most dogs, as you can imagine, have a distinct fear of humans and will avoid them at all cost. Suzy Q is different . She is very friendly and extremely forgiving..... and ..... Dr. Roba [fears for her safety. He has arranged for foster care until he can]..... go get her and bring her home to me [her new forever home]. Under...

"Purpose," 8" x 16", terrier portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $529. Inquiries may come to me . SOLD. It's gray and miserable and damp and downright yechy outside, but here in the studio, all is aglow from the light emanating from this little terrier. She has set the tone for the week - despite the weather, I, too, will step forward with purpose and get much accomplished (I'd better, as there's a lot on my plate in the coming days, and I ain't talking turkey, either). Did you remember the painting I am auctioning off for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary ? It is an octo-portrait of the pit bull Theresa who you might have met via last week's television episode of Dog Town. The painting is on ebay , and the sale ends tonite. Please please please share this ebay link with any animal lovers you know! One of my goals is to work on improving my writing and earn the opportunity to be published. I've already had one article picke...

"High Noon Toogie," 12" square, commissioned equine portrait depicting a palomino, acrylic on board.  SOLD. Proceeds from this painting will benefit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kenab Utah. And just a warning - get yourself a snack before pulling up the Best Friends site - you'll get lost in all the stories & great information.   Notice the new header for today's email? I've decided to periodically share the inventory numbers for the Dog-a-Day paintings. Toogie's is painting #67 for 2009 and #641 from the Painting a Dog a Day project. Hard to believe I'm closing in on painting #700 - sounds like the making for a party....   This piece was a challenge in values - I didn't want the darks too heavy or devoid of color, and I didn't want my lights washed out and flat. I do not use black in my palette - I mix my darks with a three way combo of the primarys, which gives me a richly colored variety of shadows.   When tinting, ...

"Green Mandalyn," 4" x 8", kitten portrait in acrylic on board. Proceeds from the sale of Mandalyn's painting will be donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary ( www.bestfriends.org ) .Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Remember Mandalyn (from November 10th - http://tinyurl.com/56s37a )? Here's another painting of her. She is continuing to recover from her wounds, and seems to understand that she must leave them alone. She has won the hearts of the Best Friends staff, and I am certain that once her health issues are resolved, this little one will quickly find a forever home. You can follow Mandalyn's progress on the Best Friends website (listed above), in the Guardian Angel section. This painting is similar in composition to "Fierce Hunter" (from November 20th - http://tinyurl.com/62rc39 ), but looks entirely different. A combination of softer colors and a variety of edgework keep Mandalyn's portrait from being a simple exercis...

FROM TOP: "Mocha," 6" x 8", sharpei dog portrait; "Emma," 8" square, bulldog pet portrat; both acrylics on canvasboard, both headed to a new home (THANK YOU!). Because my client mentioned Best Friends Animal Sanctuary ( http://www.bestfriends.org/ ) at the time she booked her portraits, a $40 donation will be made in her name to their operating fund. I am currently booking portraits for November 2009 - mention Best Friends at the time you book your portrait, and I'll be happy to make a donation when your turn comes up. Inquiries may always come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . A special welcome to the new dog-a-day readers I met at last night's Washington Art Guild Meeting! Thanks for having me out to talk your ears off, and I hope to see you/yourart work again soon. Thanks, as always, for looking at my art. And for sharing it with your friends and family (yes, that means you can forward this email!), See you tomorrow, Kim ksantini@turtled...

"Pretty in Pink (Theresa)," 6" x 12", commissioned pit bull dog portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!!). Inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . I just can't get enough of Theresa! Her face is such a balance in contrast, and those spotted ears make me grin. A great way to I officially return to work and the daily dogs. The kids are all at school (today's their first day), and Finnigan and I don't quite know what to do with ourselves. Well, I do know what I should be doing, but have been distracted by the remnants of summer - a bag full of sandy beach toys, a squirt gun stranded on the garage roof alongside the wiffle ball bat that was used to try to get it down, an assortment of flip flops tucked under the coffee table. Everywhere I look there's a reminder of sorts. I hope the kids' brains are packed full of the good times we had too. Looking forward, I hung a show at the Sterling Heights City Hall this ...

"Orange (from Theresa's Rainbow series)," 8" square, pit bull portrait in acrylic on board. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Some days you just keep moving forward. This was one of those days. This morning I received a phone call from a dear friend that she had put her wonderful dog to sleep. Dinah and Amos haunted my every step - it hit so close to my heart, having lost Miah just a few short months ago, and knowing that their relationship was so very much like ours. And then another dear friend (I do have too many to count, for which I am ever so grateful) informed me of last minute travel plans, heading cross country to help her ailing father. It seems very shallow or empty to throw a daily painting into the world amongst all this, but move forward we must. While remembering those who made our paths passable, whether they first offered a hand to toddling legs, or simply steadied us with their mere presence in times of need. So, with that I give you an...

"Pink (from Theresa's Rainbow)," 8" square, pit bull portrait, in acrylic on canvasboard. Purchase information to follow (see below), but inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. I've got 8 new Theresa's Rainbow paintings completed, of which the above image is just one. I will share the paintings with you bit by bit, as I work out the logistics of how to best manage the collection. But I can honestly say I don't think I've enjoyed painting a dog this much before. But I also was able to completely immerse myself in Theresa's joy de vivre for days on end, so in the process I learned to love her as though she were my own. Right now I can tell you that there will be 2 limited editions of 25 giclees available, identical in design, differing in size only. The giclee will include 8 square images, "Pink," Red," "Orange," "Yellow," Green," "Blue," "Indigo," and "Violet...

"Wanna Play? (Theresa)," from "Theresa's Rainbow" series, 6" x 8", pit bull dog portrait , acrylic on board, inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . ARTIST'S NOTE: Whoops!! I reversed my reference photo, but didn't think to then also reverse Theresa's markings..... I'll have to paint another version of this pose, and keep that in mind as I work on the other paintings..... A HUGE thank you to the Theresa fan who pointed this out to me!! Meet Theresa. She is a current resident of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kenab, Utah. You can read more about her at http://network.bestfriends.org/News/PostDetail.aspx?np=18523&archiveurl=/News/ArchiveList.aspx?month=9&year=2007&gu=lodgedogs&pg=1 . My client introduced Theresa, her ball and matching bandanna to me, and I fell in love. After the wheels got to turning, the one proposed painting multiplied into almost a dozen. After all, how could I choose which ball to include...