Paintings With Soul

    "Katie and Mollie," commissioned sketch portraits of two fabulous ladies, both rescues. The image is approzimately 6" x 4" and roughly centered on an 11" x 14" piece of multimedia artists paper, done in Golden Open Acrylics.   I ask my clients to share a bit of the dogs' personalities with me, just so that I get a strong sense of who they are in addition to what they look like.   Here's what I learned about Katie (on the left) and Mollie (on the right):   "Katie's a jumper, a barker, a kisser, and a total nut.  She's also a total spaniel - where she wants to be is RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, if not on top of you - and she loves nothing in the world so much as a belly rub.  Except possibly food."   "Molly's got a hefty dose of Chow Zen.  She's also got a lot of street smarts - which means, in part, that she knows how to catch her own food.  I can number at least three occasions where I stood on the sidewalk and s...

In an effort to complete this piece in one sitting ("alla prima"), I burned some midnight oil, but ran out of steam. I powernapped and came back into the studio for another go this morning, and have it pretty darned close to completion.   Here's  Part I  for those of you who missed yesterday.   And without further ado, here's Part II:       I started with a wider flat (about 1/2") and got some elementary shapes down that properly molded the pups bodies. I then went down a step to a smaller flat, building more "general" detail, before grabbing a round and popping in some key highlights and a few lines.   The detail above shows the two dogs on the left after they've been gone over once with the smaller flat brush. The pup on the right has only been hit with the 1/2" brush, and is patiently awaiting a fresh layer of color and more detailed marks.   Because I am impatient, I work from left to right, in order to avoid smearing wet paint. Wh...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Little Dog, Big Shadow," from "The Gratitude Project," 5" square, portrait of a delightful little rescued mix breed, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, not for sale. Do you ever have the good fortune to meet someone who inspires you without any effort on their part whatsoever? Foxy's Mom is just such a person. Her heart is always in alignment with her actions. She's dedicated her life towards making others' better, without ever losing her sense of humor. And Foxy is her ever present shadow, a witness to the trail of sunshine they leave behind. My only regret is the 1/2 a continent that separates us. Meanwhile, tonite, I'm raising a fine glass of red wine in her direction. And shortly I'll be prepping Foxy's painting to take a little trip out west. Thanks for sharing my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Naughty Dog Last year, in great...

Please scroll down for a detail ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "No Stopping Her," 11" x 14", from "The Gratitude Project," portrait of a Boxer who's looking for a home, done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel. Proceeds from the sale of "No Stopping Her" will be donated to Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue (BRBR) , the group currently fostering Allie, today's muse. Inquiries about purchasing this painting may come to me . Abbie is a 1-1/2 yr old brindle. She injured her left hind ACL at 3 months of age, and it was repaired. When she re-injured it, her original family turned her and her vet records into a Virginia shelter. Rescued by BRBR at 8 months, it was discovered (by the vet who went in to repair her ACL) that she had also fractured her femur 3 times. Her left hind leg was amputated, which turned out to be a blessing, given that she had stopped using it and it was atrophying. Not long after, Abbie fractured the kneecap on her righ...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Stallone," from The Gratitude Series , 6" x 8", brindled Great Dane dog portrait, done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel, $329. Inquiries may come to me (and thank you!). As with all the Gratitude paintings , proceeds of the sale of this painting will go to Stallone's host rescue group, Ohio Great Dane Rescue (OGDR). I participated in a live paint over the weekend at an event benefitting OGDR. I also pledged 10% of all commissions booked as a result of the weekend to OGRD. I have to thank Dog a Day collector Amy Hoban for introducing me to this group and inviting me to be a part of their day. Thanks also go out to Mary Beth and Tom from Orion Healthy Pet for hosting us all! Early Saturday, shortly after setting up my space, I was slipped a photo of Stallone. I was more than happy to put him front and center on my easel - he was a great muse and everyone really seemed to enjoy seeing his painted mug come alive over t...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Goof (Kyle)," from The Gratitude Series , 8" square, boxer dog portrait, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, $399. Inquiries may come to me (and thank you!). As with all the Gratitude paintings , proceeds of the sale of this painting will go to Kyle's host rescue group, Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue. Kyle was picked up by animal control at a North Carolina playground when he showed up to play. When no one stepped up to claim him, Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue stepped in, since the shelter Kyle was at was an all gassing one. In his foster home Kyle has been crate trained, house broken, and learned basic commands. He is laid back, loves to nap at one's feet, and truly adores being part of a family. With luck, Blue Ridge will find him that family, and then, the best chapter in Kyle's story will begin. They've saved over 1500 boxers and boxer mixes in the eight years they've been operating. Learn more about B...

"Stretched (Amelia)," 6" square, commissioned portrait of a rescued black lab, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, private collection (THANK YOU!). Amelia's portrait was done using photos her family shared - would you like to commission a custom painting of your dog (or cat or horse or guinea pig or bunny or.......)? I've made it as simple as possible. Sketches start at $29, paintings at $200 - and inquiries may always come to me .** Some families I never tire working with, and Amelia's is no exception. I think Amelia's painting is number 6 for them...... and painting her soulful face was even more rewarding, knowing the other portraits (also all rescues) she would eventually be joining. Painting a Dog a Day has brought some rather amazing people into my life, one of the many blessings I am grateful for daily. Please consider yourself hugged and appreciated today! Thanks so very much for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@...

"Frances," 5" x 7", pet portrait of a rescued Boxer (yes, she has a tail!), done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, $ 289 to the first ones asking nicely . SOLD (thank you!). Frances came to her family via a Boxer Rescue group who had pulled her from a pound. She was a 40 lb 2 year old with heartworms who had spent the majority of her life tied to a stake and virtually no manners. But a strong desire to please her new family. And thankfully her new family understood and was able to provide the training and love that Frances needed. Thanks, as always, for supporting my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com PS You haven't forgotten about the 10% off newly booked commissions, have you ?? the project has to be booked during this January, but can happen any time during 2011. Shoot me an email if you are interested! Come on - I've booked 8 portraits this week - I dare you to raise that number! My Newest Acquisitions See the two painti...

"Miri's Memory," 8" x 10", portrait of a rescued Cairn Terrier from Col. Potter Cairn Rescue , from The Gratitude Project . This painting was done in Golden Open acrylics on an Ampersand Geossobord and could be yours for $ 469. As with all the paintings from The Gratitude Project , proceeds from the sale of Miri's painting will be donated to Col. Potter. It's just my way of saying thanks for all the dogs - and people - who's lives are better! I had painted Miri before - she's the lucky Cairn getting all the kisses in this painting from a couple years back. Miri was a puppy mill momma rescue with such a bright spark. She arrived at Col. Potters 2/3rds of a way through a pregnancy, in such poor health that the lives of herself and her litter were endangered. Immediate surgery saved her and 5 of her 6 pups. She enjoyed 4 years with her forever home, years that were far too short but fully lived. She succombed to Cushings last fall, shortly af...

Still in process - "Come" and "Play," each 8" square, Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, portraits of Oreo, a delightful little put bull who recently was adopted. Oreo came into the Berkeley (California) East Bay Humane Society as a 4 month old pup with mutilated ears and an injured leg. He spent some time healing, then learning manners, before finding his forever home. Which didn't take long - after all, he is a charmer, with looks and style. How can anyone resist? I'm still working on Oreo's two paintings and should have them done in another day or two, but if you are interested in one, please let me know , so that I may set it aside for you. Proceeds from the sale of Oreo's portraits will go to the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society as appreciation for the care they gave this special dog. Do you know a companion animal like Oreo? Please d rop me a line and we can talk about including him/her in the Dog a Day Gratitude Project. ...

"The Creek (Winnie, Joey and Katie)," 5-1/2" x 10", depicting three rescued dogs romping in a shallow creek, completed in Golden Open Acrylics on Raymar panel, available for $399. Inquiries regarding "The Creek" or questions about how to commission a portrait of your best friends pursuing their best past time may come to me . I've painted this threesome before, individually and in another creek-side piece titled "The Stick." These dogs live quite the life, romping and enjoying each other and their family. It's always a pleasure to bring them back to the easel for another visit. I invite you to share photos of your dogs enjoying the great outdoors - who knows? they might just show up in one of these newsletters! can you stand it? Another thought - would you like to order notecards with a particular Dog a Day painting on them? Let me know! 5-1/2 x 8" notecards come in a variety orf finishes, with either with blank interiors or p...