Paintings With Soul

  From  October of last year , this is "Sigh," 10" x 6-1/2", acrylic on panel, portrait of a Great Dane puppy who was in foster care, available for purchase ($449), proceeeds going to  Ohio Great Dane Rescue . Inquiries may come  to moi.     In the States it's a holiday, a day when we remember Martin Luther King Jr. So much progress has been made, yet there's room for much, much more. Many businesses are closed and schools on holiday in his honor.   Meanwhile, I've got three kids off school ("A right delayed is a right denied," but watching television is not a right it's a priviledge, and the laundry cannot be delayed any longer, so get your grubby clothes into the laundry room now before you lose some priviledges!!**). An orthodontist appointment and a trip to the library is in order, so the odds are great that there won't be any easel time until later this evening.   Which means I'll share one of my favorite unsold Grat...

      "Colby's Chewie," 9" x 15", portrait of a yellow lab, done in acrylics on a panel.   Beating my head against the "painting wall" like I did yesterday , and then coming into the studio today and pulling Colby's painting out of nowhere, well, let's just sum it up by saying that life is a rollercoaster. And I'm so glad that Colby pulled me out of the free fall.   Enjoy the weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Kiki Kelly's Snowstorm   "If Snowflakes Were Colored," Kiki's take on a snowstorm, seems to have perfect timing.   Watch for future pieces related to sunshine (I know, eh, what's that?) and sea urchins (totally random, I agree).

An underpainting for something new and fantastic.....   It happens to every artist - for whatever reason, things just don't come off the brush quite the way they are planned. It happened to me today.   While sorting through panels of uncompleted paintings (I sadly have stacks of them), I decided to pick up and finish one.   It was a demo painting from last year, and I was excited about the tonality and textural qualities the composition provided.    I worked for a couple hours before realizing there were serious drawing problems. In correcting them, I discovered the shape of the canvas didn't match the proportion of the dog.   Rather than continue to work on a piece I would never have been satisfied with, I rubbed it all out and painted overtop.   And this is what I ended up with. A delightful modge-podge of bright color, color that will make a wonderful underpainting. For an entirely new piece. That won't make me want to tear my hair out...

  An oldie but a goodie, one of my favorite paintings from 4 years back,  "The Gift" . This piece is also a perfect example of investing in art - all sentiment aside, it's increased in value by nearly 60%!!     The Canine Art Guild  (CAG) was begun by a group of artists who wanted to establish a community that supported dog art and those who make dog art.   Little did we know that the CAG would be welcomed with such enthusiasm. Today the guild, numbering upwards of 120 members, fluorishes as an international collective of artists at all stages of their careers.   I've been lucky to sit at the helm all along, and I can't say enough what a blessing it has been. I've made friends with so many fellow artists, learned quite a bit in the process, and hopefully helped facilitate learning and sharing as well.   I invite you to take a peek at  our website  and peruse some of the members' art. You'll find all disciplines, and maybe di...

      This year I'm gifting monthly desktop calendars built from some of my favorite Painting a Dog a Day pieces. Ideally I'll send them out on the last Monday of the previous month, so watch for more timely updates!   To implement, simply 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, you don't just email me with your questions. Please consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than lil' ole' me.    However I fully expect there to be some sort of hiccough or two as I sort out the best means to get the Desktop Calendars implemented (meaning I've gotta figure out the most optimal file size and all that other good stuff!), so I appreciate you...

  "Having a Ball", 8" x 10", acrylic on panel, starring a couple of merled Border Collies, hopefully headed to this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. Inquiries may come  to me .     Here is the final painting I've prepared specifically for this year's  Art Show at the Dog Show . I started these two last evening, working late into the nite, and picking up again early this morning.   This one's photographed in process on  the studio Facebook page  - and one clever and witty Facebook fan even titled it for me, as well!   So now jpgs of my entries are winging their way to the show jurors, and I shall hear by the end of this month which, if any, of my pieces were selected. Then it's a matter of finding proper frames and getting them shipped off to Kansas for the show, which opens in early March.   Think happy thoughts for these two, Nita, Ruby and Ammo and Tonka, the muses who inspired me to really push the envelope this year. None ...

  "Snow Much Fun", 14" x 32", acrylic on panel, starring Nita-the-Fierce-Snowball-Hunter, hopefully headed to this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. Inquiries may come  to me .   Here is another painting I've prepared specifically for this year's  Art Show at the Dog Show . This one I did during the holiday break - it's a big portrait, and took me several days to complete.   You may recall the far left pose as  one I painted before  - at the time I was unhappy with certain elements and wanted to give it another shot (the background is certainly lovely, but poor Nita has no neck and shoulders as painted, and it's painful to look at!).   Originally I sketched Snow Much Fun with a different airborn pose on the far left. It didn't take me long to figure out that I needed the more inviting "come on and play" Nita to make the piece even more irresistable.   Any who, the tunes were cranked (I'm digging on the new  Florence ...

  The finished product! "But, Mom....", 12" x 16", acrylic on panel, headed to this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. Inquiries may come  to me .   The Art Show at the Dog Show  is an annual juried exhibition in Kansas that focuses exclusively on canine artwork. I've been lucky enough to have work juried into it in past years and have my fingers crossed that this year will be no exception.   As with the majority of my recent work, I've placed multiple views of this painting in process on  the studio Facebook page .   Wait'll you see tomorrow's painting, another one headed (hopefully) to Art Show at the Dog Show........   Here's to a fabulously colorful New Year - looks like we are off to a fantastic start! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    

  An in process detail of my newest painting, "But, Mom....", 12" x 16", acrylic on panel.   I chose an ambitious composition for my next piece, a larger painting created specifically for  The Art Show at the Dog Show , an annual juried exhibition in Kansas that focuses exclusively on canine artwork.   It's always fun to work up more complex concepts than a traditional portrait approach would not necessarily embrace. And after the holidays, when I've done primarily portraits for the prior 3 months, it's especially fun to lose myself in a storytelling piece.   As with most of my work, you can see multiple views of this painting (above is just a detail) on  the studio Facebook page .   I regularly get emails asking about my processes and it often takes me days to respond personally - you are welcome to comment on the FB images if you have particular questions, and then I can answer them more quickly and in a public forum where they could pote...

"Blooms I," 11" x 14", a mixed media painting by Kiki Kelly   I hope that your holidays were as delightful and magical as ours. We had some amazingly fun times with family and friends - and at home with ourselves, too. Lots of laughter, good eats (I need a chocolate cookie detox), a killer Bananagrams tourney, and even some most excellent football (way to go Michigan State Spartans!!).   And now it's back to work!!   I didn't get all the painting done that I planned on accomplishing over break, but there's still a small window of time before my most pressing of deadlines. Meanwhile, this week I'm also working on getting projects aligned - exhibition entries off, articles edited, files archived, reference photos sorted and lesson plan tweaking for my winter journalling workshops ( email me  if you want in - we'll be doing some COOL things!!).   And I'm taking a class myself - Traci Bautista's  Doodles Unleashed , a month-long onl...

  It's been a busy couple of days here. Between wrapping and delivering the last couple Dog a Day holiday portraits, finishing up my own creations for gift-giving, and readying my family for proper celebrations, this joint has been hopping.   Twas the night before The Night Before, and things are looking good.   Thanks in no small part to a few indulgences like these cookies.   They are a little more laborous than a traditional chocolate chip, but trust me - so worth it.   Wishing you all the best this coming week - no matter how you celebrate the holiday, may it happen with great joy. And a nibble of something chocolate.   Know that as I gather with my own family, I'll be thinking of the Painting a Dog a Day community, and sending out karma and warm wishes to everyone who's played a part the past 6 years. Many stories and muses have come into the studio, and I've loved the time spent with everyone of them.   And I am eager to return to wo...

  Detail of "It's Snowing!" a multi-media collage built from various patterned paper, paint, and tissue.   Today I am driving kids about (they have a busier social life than me!), doing a bit of computer work (the harddrive filled on one of my computers, so I've been compressing/backing up/juggling data about), and considering some holiday baking (I started last night with a delish apple-cherry brandy laced cobbler!).   Which doesn't leave any daylight hours at the easel, but that's ok - I'm content to come in later tonite and set up shop once things have quieted down.   Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy a snippet from one of several new mixed media experiments. I can't show either of them because they are Christmas gifts, but I think you get a sense of how much fun The Princess and I had with the "paper explosion" that occurred in the studio this past weekend.   Thank you so much for supporting my artwork and providing my liveli...