Paintings With Soul

Puppy Butt, pictured above, is one of my all time favorite Dog a Day paintings because it provided a critical Ah-Ha moment. It's a little piece, 6" square, that hammered in a big lesson. He sold right away, but you can order reproductions and other items through   my FineArtAmerica storefront . I remember painting it - keep in mind that after more than 1300 Dog a Day paintings, I don't recall actively creating too many of them. I remember being excited to start, so excited that I jumped right in, sweeping the background in with a wide brush I hadn't bothered to clean or wipe off. My color became grayed out and muted color. I cursed myself for being lazy (it's my greatest painting vice), but then I said, hey, lazy girl, you might have just done something pretty cool. Laying the background colors down with a dirty brush mucked them up (I work in layers, and paint the entire background first before putting the dog/foreground shape in). They were...

Tiny Fearlessly Steps into the Future Because He Lacks Reasoning Skills. His Bowl is Also Always Full of Kibble. 20" x 24", acrylics on panel, featuring a spunky daschund mix, $799 to the first asking nicely - inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you. I wish I could be more like Tiny. Satisfied with kibble and chasing butterflies. I suppose starting by appreciating the simple things is a step in the right direction.

      "Bucky," image approximately 5-1/2" x 5" roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, done in acrylics, depicting a much beloved Daschund, private collection (THANK YOU!!).   Bucky's over on  the studio Facebook page  - there's a couple pics of his portrait in process.   Want a Santini original of your own?  email me  and we can talk about a portrait of your four legged family member! Thanks! Kim Santini ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

      "Rodeo," 6" square, acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting one very special Daschund, private collection (THANK YOU!).   There are in process pics of Rodeo  here  on the studio's Facebook page.   Inquiries are welcomed  in my direction . Kim Santini ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com      

  "Sweetpea," nearly 5" x 4" roughly centered on an 8" x 10" paper, a commissioned sketch done in paint, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me .       Sweetpea is a doll, isn't she?   She's a rescued chihuahua-doxie mix with quite the personality. She skitters in lieu of walking and is rather clumsy, yet endearing. She can launch herself onto the couch after lapping the family room to get up speed. And she loves drive by face slurps.   And soaking up a little sunshine, too.   I'm looking forward to hearing the reaction from Sweetpea's Dad when he opens his birthday gift, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Fever   The Princess has some sort of virus and has been hanging with me in the studio instead of going to school.   Today we worked together on Carla Sonheim's  Silly5 Class , an online workshop that tied up today but I hadn't even had a chance to start (and you can still sign up ...

    "Go, Dog, Go! (Jack)," 5" x 11", portrait of a doxie with special needs, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, $299. Proceeds from the sale of "Go, Dog, Go" will benefit the San Francisco SPCA in California, where Jack is an "employee." Inquiries may come  to me .        A Dog a Day collector, in cahoots with her daughter who's finishing up verterinary school in California, sent me several folders worth of muses. Photographs of clinic dogs and kitties, as well as pictures of friends' pets.   That's how I met Jack.   He came into rescue with a previous back injury that left his hind end paralyzed - his family was undergoing difficulties and could no longer keep him. He went into an emergency foster home, but that home's resident dog had other plans. She bonded with Jack, as did everyone else, and he became a fixture.   Jack leads a very active life, and his wheelchair does not slow him down in the least. His Mo...

"Puppy Butt (Doxie)," 6" square, Daschund puppy dog portrait, completed in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, available for $299. Inquiries or questions about how to commission a portrait of your best friend may come to me . SOLD. It happens to all of artists - some days you just can't slip into your groove. This painting had 3 false starts before I got going with any confidence. Don't know if it was my teeny 1-1/2" reference photo, the constantly ringing phone, or the silly little guy's pose. Regardless it's all behind me. And I'm grateful I was persistent. (Don't you like the darker underpainting showing through - the result of wiping down all the prior paintings!) Thanks for looking at, and sharing, my artwork with your friends and family - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com SHOP HOMEMADE This year I'm going for an entirely homemade Christmas. For those few gifts that I can't make, I'm hitting Etsy. Etsy is a gr...

"A Stiff Wind ," 4" x 8," dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center. Inquiries may come to me . I would love to slip this painting in a deep frame and delight at the illusion of the little dog straining on tip-toe, trying to peek out at the viewer! Thank you to Paige at The Equinest for a great article on my art. If you have the time, browse through her interviews with other artists - they are wonderful! I finished the Brittany painting today too, and added the image and some notes to yesterday's posting . You can view the in process and final versions here . Thanks so much for sharing my art with your friends and family. See you tomorrow, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

FROM TOP: "A Little Glee (Hallie)," 6" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard; and "Glee (Hallie)," 10" x 12", acrylic on panel; both depicting a long-haired daschund. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . I enjoyed painting the two Silas's last Friday so much that I decided to do the same with Hallie. Here she is, both of her(!), in all her glory, romping through the spring grass. Hallie belongs to Dee Dee Murry, a friend of mine who is an incredibly talented artist in her own right ( http://www.deedeemurry.com/ ). Poor little Hallie has been wrung through the wringer this winter with back issues. Crate rest is a tough prescription for an active little one like Hallie. But all had healed come spring, and Dee Dee sent me photos of Hallie loving life. The joy in the dog's face was simply irresistable, and I begged her to let me paint Hallie this week (I had a client scheduled who hadn't yet gotten me photos). Of course, as things go, Ha...

2 paintings again today. They are sisters - can't you see the resemblance?! "Mocha," 4x5, daschund pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. "Tortie in Shadows (Neki)," 4x8, tortoiseshell kitten portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. I wasn't on the ball enough today to get these paintings over to my client in time for her approval, so I do not know if they have been sold. Inquiries on either may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Hard to believe another week's flown by. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family, Enjoy your weekends! 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

Daschunds have gumption. I mean, come on – they have to! All that attitude packed into such an odd little package (and I do not mean that in a cruel way whatsoever – I love their endearing proportions). This guy is no exception. I found myself playing a bit with the edges as I worked on this. First, loving the bone structure and angle of the pose, I had the shape of his body all crisp and curvy. Then I ran a dry brush across him to blur out/soften all but his face. It was interesting to see how that accented the focal point, and made the painting a little stronger. “Daschund Study,” 6x6, $60. All inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . 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 ...

"Doxie Study (Jack)," 5x7, daschund dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. SOLD. Thanks, as always, for looking, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini www.turtledovedesigns.com distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings

"Doxie Study (Chloe)," 4x5, daschund dog portrait in acrylic on canvasboard. SOLD. Thanks, as always, for looking, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini www.turtledovedesigns.com distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings

Yum II (doxie study), 6x8, daschund dog painting in acrylic on canvasboard. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Thanks, as always, for looking. And, those of you celebrating American Thanksgiving tomorrow, enjoy yourselves! Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini www.turtledovedesigns.com distinctive pet portraits & 4-legged paintings