Paintings With Soul

"Ewok," 10" x 12", acrylics on panel, $219 + s&h to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come to me . I spent most of today sketching and working out some new ideas. I've found a rental space that will allow me to go bigger than I ever have before....... Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    Shop Reproductions Here

  "Miss Kitty," 8" x 10", commissioned calico cat portrait, acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a lovely long haired tortoiseshell kitty, private collection (THANK YOU!).      Petite in size but huge in personality - isn't that how it usually goes? Miss Kitty was a rescue who became well known in the neighborhood for accompanying her family when they walked the dogs. She crossed the bridge about five years ago, but still holds a special spot in many hearts.   Her family will be very excited to have a portrait of her in their home. I wish I could be there for the reveal!   In process pics  here .   Thanks so much for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Upcoming Workshops and Talks Social Media & Marketing, Jan 14, 2014 Coloriffic in Orlando Jan 31-Feb 1, 2014  - nearly full!  

"Ginger," 6" x 8", commissioned cat portrait, acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a lovely diluted tortie, private collection (THANK YOU!).  Ginger was adopted by her family this summer - the Humane Society thought she was about 8 years old, but they were off a bit. The love of her family got Ginger digging deep to find a 9th life when she had a recent health scare. This painting is intended for her special someone. What an awesome gift! In process pics of Ginger's portrait are  here . Thanks so much for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Upcoming Workshops and Talks Social Media & Marketing, Jan 14, 2014 Coloriffic in Orlando Jan 31-Feb 1, 2014  - nearly full!

"Mrs. Pugsley," 6" square, acrylic on canvasboard, portrait of a tortoiseshell cat. I believe this painting is sold but am awaiting confirmation - let me know if you are interested and I'll be happy to start a waiting list. Or think about commissioning a portrait of your own - inquiries (sketches starting at $29, paintings at $209) may always come to me . You'll most likely get tired of reading this, but please cast a vote for this round of the Daily Painter's contest: http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest If you voted in round one, give yourself a big warm hug - then check out the link and vote for round two. I'm in 2nd place by just a few dozen votes, so you truly do have the opportunity to make a difference here and get the Painting a Dog a Day artwork in front of an entirely new audience. Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork and musings with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com www.paintingadog...

"Molly," 5" x 7", cat portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $249. Inquiries may come to me .   Don't you just love the color in her? I do. There are untold layers of paint - this piece glows when you hold it in your hands. Paintings like Molly's are why I stand in front of the easel each day - a solid combination of color and loose brushwork.   I may have another new love as well. Have you heard of creative journalling? It's a cross between writing, sketching, scrapbooking and collage, and a great way to feed one's energy. I've always kept diaries/journals/blogs, and I am in the studio creating nearly every day, so it seemed a natural choice.   Below is today's page. (I don't do a page each day, but one every couple weeks - and sometimes I work on a page or spread for several weeks before moving on.) This is a silhouette of the original studio muse Miah who crossed the bridge almost a year ago. Wow. It's been almost a y...

"Kitty Baroo," 6" x 8", tortoiseshell tabby cat portrait , featuring a cat from the Oakland Pet Adoption Center, acrylic on board, $199 to the first buyer. $38 from the sale of this painting will be donated to the Oakland Pet Fund ( http://www.oaklandpetfund.org/ ) in support of their efforts to make Oakland County Michigan a no-more-homeless-pets community by 2010. Inquiries may come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This beautiful cat was in a crate with what I presumed to be her daughter, a slender, younger and careful shadow. Entranced by their matching markings, I aimed my camera. At the first click of the shutter, the older cat twisted her head around sideways, doing a perfect Baroo. She held her head at this ridiculous angle and then squinted her eyes down and smiled (no joke, I have the photos to prove it!). She kept leaning over, further and further, until she flopped on her side, stretching her front paws out towards me. She eagerly batted ...

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

“Buffy (Long Haired Tortie Study),” 4” x 5”, feline portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (thank you!). When clients send over a stack of reference photos for a commissioned dog-a-day painting, usually one or two of the images (sometimes more than that, if I’m lucky!) scream “Paint me!” That simplifies the process completely – I allow that particular image to steer the size of the finished piece, and use bits from the other photographs to add details here and there. But sometimes I’m not so lucky, and the client can only scrape together a photo or two. With Buffy here, all I had to work from was one tiny 2” high photo, in which her face was less than 1/4” high. To further complicate matters, the photograph was taken with a flash, which practically wiped out what detail was left in the tiny image. I was comfortable taking this on only because Buffy looked so much like a tortie that owned me not so long ago. Despite my confidence, I did almost chuck this painting twice. ...

“Tortoiseshell Study,” 4” x 6”, acrylic feline portrait on canvasboard. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue in Bellevue, Michigan. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. Lindsey, the model for this painting, came into the Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue 2 years ago with a litter of kittens. Her kittens have been placed, but shy Lindsey remains. Her turquoise eyes can often be seen watching the action from afar. I used the color of her eyes as a starting point for the rest of the painting. There’s always riotous color going on in the coat of a tortoiseshell, and I pushed the envelope even further with this painting (which you are viewing larger than life - it’s only 4” across). This piece is a little gem, and will look lovely framed up and tucked into a special place – maybe a little girl’s bedroom, or a powder room, or tucked among titles on a bookshelf. Meanwhile, if you are interested in learning more about Lindsey...

Revisiting Bailey yesterday reminded me how much I loved all her wisps and color – she had almost a lion’s mane of buff fur that framed her darker speckled face. So I took that effect as a starting point this morning, and did this little gem of a tortoise-shell long haired cat. Lots of greens and blues – can you tell that I shifted my palette today, and switched out a couple colors? I used a lighter shade of my cadmium red, and swapped the cad yellow for a hansa – this allowed the warmer pthalo blue to really step forward and anchor the cat’s face. “Tortie Study,” 4x6, $50. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. I am also excited to share some exhibition news with you. December 28th ‘s dog-a-day “Bulldog Study” has been accepted into the Art Show at the Dog Show in Wichita, Kansas. What nice validation that these little paintings ARE art. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family! Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledo...

Continuing the saga of the Santini clan, here is Bailey. Bailey was with us just a short time, but she left an indelible pawprint. She was a mischievous child trapped in the body of a tortoise-shell kitty, and entertained us regularly with her antics. She carried with her a constant look of surprise, and her fur was a kaleidoscope of color. All the love in the world, and a good amount of prescription meds, couldn’t cure her litterbox avoidance issues, though, and she ultimately relocated to a friend’s farm for a taste of the barn cat lifestyle. “Bailey,” 4x6 painting framed to roughly 10x12, collection of my son. I’m showing you this painting framed, so that you may see how these little pieces can be taken to a different level entirely with some fanciful framing. For that matter, any bit of doodling will be taken more seriously with a professional frame around it!! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family. Stay warm! Kim Kimberly Kelly San...