Paintings With Soul

"Apollo, The Sun God of Rabbits," 20" in diameter, acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, depicting the same black lop-eared bunny from yesterday, but this time in all his true splendor. Apollo is $1499 to the first one asking nicely, and that includes complimentary shipping inside the US. (laugh if you must at my Photoshop skills, but I couldn't figure out how to get a clean circular crop, but trust me, this is a clean circular gallery wrapped canvas with a very crisp, non-ratty edge unlike my photograph above) Again, many thanks to CC from House Rabbit Society for allowing me to paint from her photo of Luna - I am so pleased to have added this rabbit to my portfolio, not once, but twice! Tomorrow I'll get to working on the giant race horse that's currently in the studio. And maybe I'll bake something, like Starbucks chocolate cinnamon bread.  Because let's be honest, painting is always easier with chocolate. Thanks for your...

"Sun Goddess," 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting Nita, one of my favorite muses. If any dog wears their heart on their sleeve (and Golden Retrievers tend to do that), it's this one!! In process photos are here , for those interested. And I would be remiss not to give props to Team Husar Wildlife Photography for permission to paint from their photos (I look forward to sharing Chicago with you soon, LH!) The Sun Goddess is shortly heading south to her new home (a very warm welcome and lots of thanks to my new collector). Meanwhile, I am now accepting a limited number of special projects like this one. Please send inquiries  to me .  Order reproductions/totes/smartphone cases/household items here.  You know I love color, and this composition was perfect for me to revel in it. Pure, unapologetic color. This piece started out Saturday as a very rough, bright layer , and I worked through the first 90% of it wit...

"Sun Bun (Bun II)," 8" square, acrylics on museum quality panel depicting Mr. Bun, a Lionhead Rabbit. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will help homeless buns - he's $399 to the first asking nicely. SOLD VIEW IN PROCESS PHOTOS I painted Bun again today (here's his first portrait ) - he's such a good little model! Next week we'll change things up a bit - it's Derby Week, and keeping with tradition, I'll paint horses each day. But meanwhile I'm off for a weekend of dance. In between numbers, I'll be doodling in the dressing room, making plans for new paintings. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

"Mona Lisa's Rainbow," 7" x 8", casein on museum quality panel, depicting that famous kitty with the elusive smile. I'm not certain that this piece is finished, but anticipate some will be in love with her as is, so set things up on FineArtAmerica (reproductions, notecards and smartphone cases) - order away right here . Meanwhile inquiries may come to moi . I've cut back on commissions so as to actively study and play with my materials. Play is a huge part (for me) of maintaining creative energy, and it's the first thing that gets set aside when my calendar starts to fill. It's important, too, that I continue to challenge myself to grow as an artist. Painting with other artists, exploring new media and approaches, along with continuing to work from life and study light and color, is mandatory. And these are all things set aside if I don't say "no" often enough. Today was a "yes" day f...

    At Peace (Gracie May), 12" x 18", depicting our neighbor's dog. I started this painting at my Dragon on the Lake demo in August of this year - it was a hot and windy day, which led to a little excitement as I painted with one hand steadying the canvas on my easel. Today Gracie made it to my studio easel for the finishing touches. This painting can be yours for $639. Inquiries may come  to me .     On any given day I can peek out my studio window and catch a glimpse of Gracie May sunning herself at her home across the street. Usually with a shoe nearby.   A rescued dog, Gracie's of uncertain ancestry - she's much taller and lighter boned than a typical lab, but has their sweet disposition and fondness for cookies. Lumpy and stiff with arthritis, her tail thumps upon your approach and she rolls for a good belly rub.   If I'm especially lucky, she'll get up, drop her head, wiggle her butt, and howl with anticipation when ...

    Dang. It's October already. Where did the summer go?   To implement this month's desktop calendar, download the file  directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link.   I am by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.    I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so c...

Bear's Backscratch (finished), 12" x 20", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned portrait depicting a delightfully goofy Golden Retriever, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me , though, because I can make something like this starring YOUR dog especially for YOU.     I wish I could paint like this every single day! In process pics chronicalling the last two days' work are  on Facebook .   Thanks for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PS   Did you hear about  my painting giveaway ?

IN PROCESS:  Bear's Backscratch, 12" x 20", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned portrait depicting a delightfully goofy Golden Retriever, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come  to me , though, because I can make something like this starring YOUR dog especially for YOU.     You've seen Bear and his sidekick Nita many times before. Daydream ,  Nana Nana Na Na ,  Cannonball ,  Snuggle Bunny , Snow Much Fun  - the list goes on and on and on, but you can see that these two are perfect muses and I take great joy in painting their antics.   Is your dog (or cat) a muse? you can always introduce us via digital photos.  Shoot me an email  - I paint from non-flash photos   that you have personally taken  (very important!) where the animal is at least 1/3 of the picture.    Thanks for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PS...

Trouble Brewing, 6" x 12", acrylics on museum quality canvas, depicting the insanely cute tabby troublemaker daVinci, available to the first one asking "pretty please," $499, and those "pretty pleases" may come  to me . NOTE: This painting suffered damage recently, with one corner getting dented. This will not be visible if framed,however, I will discount the painting to reflect the damage to $299.   Yes, it's another daVinci painting. I'm distracting myself with cute kitten memories instead of fixating on the weatherproofing around the doors that he's eaten. And the screens pocked with holes. And the two strips of wallpaper he literally chewed from the wall right above the couch in the family room. But isn't he cute? (and don't worry, My Better Half adores this guy, so he's not going anywhere!)     Thanks so much for following along with my artwork!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ...

Four OClock (Mona Lisa), 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, portrait of the one and only Mona Lisa, available to the first one asking nicely for $469.  Inquiries  may come to me!!     I started Mo's latest painting yesterday (in process pics are here ), but was interrupted by two crises - one involving a broken down car and another over a missing uniform piece on game day.   My boss totally understood why I had to leave a little early!   Hope you have a wonderful weekend!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

IN PROCESS, "At Peace (Gracie)," 18" x 12", a portrait of light (and my neighbor's much beloved Gracie May), painted in acrylics on museum quality panel, $639 when completed. Inquiries may come  to me .     What a great weekend spent at Dragon on the Lake, the summertime festival my local town hosts!   This year in addition to our involvement with The Princess's Dance team, I was invited to paint live in the middle of the art fair.   And "At Peace" is the painting I started yesterday.    It was very warm with gusty winds - winds that lifted my easel at one point and threatened to topple it. There was lots of spritzing my palette to keep the paints dry and one hand steadying the large panel with each wind gust.   I'll spend a bit more time with her before she's finished - but she does have a lovely glow. And it was no accident that I chose to work on a painting that was more about light than the su...

  IN PROCESS:  "Opie," 9" x 12", commissioned portrait of a sunbathing black cat, acrylics on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!).    Want a painting of your own? then  email me !!   In process photos will continue to be uploaded  here .   Thanks so much for following along with my artwork! Enjoy your weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Gus and Darlin," 9" x 12", commissioned double portrait of a Basset Hound and a Black Lab, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!!).   I'm happy to paint something special like these two goofballs just for you -  simply ask .   Lots of in-process photos are on  the studio Facebook page .   Including pics of my special studio visitor today.   Enjoy your weekend!   Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

  Keenan, commissioned portrait of a Sheltie, done in acrylics on paper, image roughly 5" x 5" centered on a 9" x 12" paper. Private collection (THANK YOU!)     Keenan is one half of a pair of shelties I sketched today - his older sister Keelie will be shared with you tomorrow.   Thanks so much for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    Order Notecards   "Telling Secrets," 12" x 12", portrait of two kitties in the sunlight, done in acrylic on a museum quality panel, available for $599. Interested parties may  email me  for more information.   In process views of "Telling Secrets" were shared on the studio Facebook page  yesterday. You can find them inside the Mobile Uploads folder . And by the way, you do not need to have a Facebook account to view either of those links.   I'd love to talk about creating spectacular original art for you -  email me  and we can talk.     Last night at my Art Guild meeting we hosted a critique. It's one of the best attended meetings of the year.   There's nothing like a well run critique to get your creative juices going.  Analyzing the artwork and discussing elements like compositional plays, palette choices, methods of markmaking - it's all a great learn...