Paintings With Soul

The Real Deal.  12" x 12" x 1/2", acrylics on canvas, $309. Inquiries may come to  me . I'm running out of references - time to go play in the garden and see if Grandpa Toad wants to do a photo shoot! And there was that little tree frog hanging out around the fountain the other day too.......

"Midas," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! I should charge double for this one. Those ribbons took a damn eternity, so many repaints I lost count, and I'm freaking cross eyed from the stripes. BUT - here's the thing - I stuck through it, asked myself why things weren't working, found the answers through trial and error, and made it work. So yesterday's crappy paint day? No longer matters my friends! Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

IN PROCESS: "Midas," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! This is daVinci, one of my studio kitties. And this painting is entirely HIS attitude - he thinks he's a Pretty Big Deal. So the ridiculous crown of gold ribbons and his stately, classic 3/4 profile are absolutely perfect. I had hoped to finish the piece today, but had a tough time finding my groove. Which happens - so, I'm going to be kind to myself and return tomorrow for another pass. It's only paint. And we can't always be on fleek. Well, maybe you can, but I can't! Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

It's magical, isn't it? Like the first snow every year. "Nita's Bliss," 18" x 24" on a cradeled panel, done in acrylics on an ampersand gessoboard, heading to her new home next week. A detail of this painting is below - it's luscious in every possible way. You may order reproductions of Nita's Bliss here:   Please let me know if you would like something similar starring your own dog. 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...

IN PROCESS:  "Angel," 16" x 20", commissioned life sized portrait of a bull mastiff, acrylics on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). In process photos of Angel's portrait will be updated to  Facebook  as I continue working. And as always, inquiries may come  to me .     Angle's Mom and I have been corresponding for 18mos, working out the details of a perfect portrait. I think we nailed it!   I can do the same thing for you -  let's start our own conversation !   Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      "Snuggle Bunny," 12" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting the now infamous golden retriever Nita (I've painted her more times than my own dog - she is the inspiration behind  Cannonball  and many other recent paintings!) and her beloved bunny, $629 to the first one asking nicely.   Inquiries  via email , please and thank you!   So Nita took a little longer to finish than originally planned, but some things are worth it. I couldn't be happier with this one - but did have to force myself to stop for fear of overworking her.   Meanwhile, please take a moment to send a warm thought the way of Nita's mom, who is recovering from surgery. Nita's going stir crazy without someone to throw balls for her all day!! hee hee........   Thanks so very much for following along with my work! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:  " Double Ring Valentine ," " S Hook Valentine ," " Orange Shadowed Valentine ," and " Paperclip Valentine ," each 4" square, acrylic on museum quality panel, each available for purchase.   These paintings will be auctioned  on the studio's Facebook page  - bidding will begin at $1 and run through 10pm EST Wednesday, January 30th.    Place your bid via commenting on the painting you want.    Pay via Paypal by Friday, February 1st, 2013, and your painting will ship on Monday.   Want to commisison a painting of your own animal's tags? of course I can do that!! shoot an email  in my direction .     It's a one-day auction on these mini paintings!    The auction has already started - click on the title of the painting you want and be directly transported to the correct page!   Or visit the...

    "Stick It," 6" x 13", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting two dogs (a black lab and a golden retriever) and a stick, $539. In process pics are on  the studio Facebook page . Meanwhile, inquiries may come  to me .   I did think that this one was going to get trashed**- as I painted and made adjustments, the dogs' faces just kept getting bigger and bigger, and things got out of control.   But, somehow, I managed to reel it in and keep them contained on this little board. And while the resulting close crop was unintended, it makes you feel as though they are right there in the water with you, right in your face. And I sorta like that.   Fondly, Kim, who is ready to for the best stress relief ever - cheering on The Caped Crusader's football team. Go Dragons!!**** ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   **For the record, I DO paint over at least one piece every week. I happen to learn best by messing ...