Paintings With Soul

"Gordon and Susan," Toy #21, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. Remember these two from Sesame Street? I loved their calm, loving characters. They always brought me peace. This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I'm dating myself, but I grew up with this show. As the oldest of 5, I had lots of opportunities to continue to enjoy it beyond my preschool years. And I didn't mind it a bit - the personalities, whether muppet or human, were loved like family. So when I found Gordon and Susan's characters as Fisher Price Little People figurines, I had to have them. Even though I never played with these specific toys, the memories the figures stirred up were still there. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Pup + Penny," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a Fisher Price Little People dog. And a shiny penny. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!). Reflected Color Something you see in life, but not always in photographs. See that smidge of copper in the dog's body? it's the reflection of the penny. And the green edge of his body? that's light bouncing off the green paper, light that has absorbed the color of the object it's bouncing off. And the shadow, how it's bluer near the dog's body? that's because the body's shadowed darkness is reflected into the shadow itself.  Set some objects up and see if you can't see similar effects. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Little People Puppy (Toy #10)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a spunky little spaniel with jointed legs made by Fisher Price This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I didn't play with this particular version of Little People toys, but I find them very sentimental never the less. They are well designed and charming. I tried to figure out what year Fisher Price made these particular jointed toys which I own (via ebay - I have circus characters too!), but got distracted learning about the history of Little People in general. They have seemingly been around for 50+ years! The Little People barn was a HUGE part of my childhood. The barn doors opened with a "mooooo," but in my head I heard welcoming nickers. Those horses and chickens were real. The brown and orange shag carpeting of my parent's family room became lush rolling pastures of green, and the Little People...

Get the Calendar Here Get the Clown on Other Goodies Here -or- Buy Him for Yourself! (and actually, who's to say you can't do all 3?) Installing the Desktop Calendar You can 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 not an expert on operating systems, so if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, please don't email me - I will indubitably steer you wrong. Your computer's help files 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"...

"Bad Dog I" and "Bad Dog II," which I suppose are from the "Emerging" series since they are on darker grounds, each 4" x 6" but completed on one 8" x 6" panel (so they are one painting that includes 2 images), acrylics on museum quality panel, inspired by an old wooden vintage Fisher Price Little People dog, $329 to the first asking nicely. And if you would like, I will cut these two apart so that you will have two separate paintings, all for the price of one. Just ask here! Yesterday sneaked past when I wasn't looking. Today's doing the same thing. But meanwhile, I was able to come into the studio last nite for a little quiet time with my brushes and easel, and I eeked out this little panel featuring two versions of a bad dog - one who grins and lies to your face, and another who averts his eyes and pretends he/she didn't do it (we all know both those looks well, don't we!?). This afternoon I...

"Do You Take This Man...." 7-1/2" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, featuring vintage Fisher Price figurines, not for sale. You could say this one has special meaning to me. It's a long holiday weekend for us, and it's followed by The Princess's trip to a nationals dance convention and competition.  I'll be painting all week long from our hotel room - not sure yet what I'll pack to work on, but it's pretty much guaranteed to end up with an added layer of glitter and hairspray by the time we return home. I hope your weekend is safe and fun-filled. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim

View In Process Photos Order a Cowboy Print/Notecards/Smartphone Case I Want A Cowboy Too! "Cowboy," 4" x 6", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a Fisher Price Little People cowboy, not for sale. This treasure is going to a friend who's had a rough year. A little cowboy should brighten up her days from here on out. I mean, come on, it's hard to top the power of a cowboy.  Unless you are a unicorn. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim

"D is for Dog," from the "Toys & Treasures" series of paintings, 6" square, acrylic on canvasboard. This painting is priced to sell at $99. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .   Wouldn't this be darling in a nursery or child's room? I'm working on several paintings right now for two lucky baby boys - one with a goldfish theme, the other sock monkeys. These paintings are such a fun break from the portraits.   Don't get me wrong - I love my pet portraits! But I also like keeping things mixed up, and the nursery work is doing just that for me right now.   Thanks for following along with me through another week! Please do share these paintings with your friends, and I'll be back Monday - Happy weekend! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Going Places" from the "Tags, Toys & Treasures" series, 4" x 8", still life painting depicting vintage Fisher Price Little People dalmation on tricycle, acrylic on board, private collection (THANK YOU!). Look out Pooh - here comes the Fisher Price dog!! This is the latest piece headed towards one lucky child's room. My client has scooped up a number of paintings from the "Tags, Toys and Treasures" series to decorate her nursery. You can see more work from this series at http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/dog_tags_toys_treasuress.html . I'll also have a number of pieces with me at this weekend's Lake Orion Flower Fair, in downtown Lake Orion, at my booth on South Broadway. Please stop by, say hello, and dig through my stash of paintings to see if you can't find a treasure of your own. Inquiries may always come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Props too - if you have a special memento from your childhood that you would like...

FROM LEFT: "Paratrooper Puppy I," 6" x 12"; "Paratrooper Puppy II," 8" x 10"; "Paratrooper Puppy III," 12" square. All in acrylic on board. Each painting depicts a vintage Fisher Price Little People dog with a Fisher Price Adventure Family parachute (there's also actually a zip-tied involved, too, but I used artistic license and painted that out). Inquiries, including requests for higher resolution images, may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Yet another installment in the "Tags, Toys & Treasures" series of paintings. These were done for my client who is decorating her nursery with vintage toys and my paintings. Her most recent additions to the decor include one of these Paratroopers along with "Shooting the Rapids," which I posted on Monday. (Thank you, Kelly! I can't wait for you to unwrap these most recent two!! ) You should have seen this photo shoot - my 13 year old was getting int...

CLOCKWISE, FROM UPPER LEFT: "Training Wheels," 6" x 6", depicting dog riding tricycle, acrylic on canvasboard, $149; "Spotty," 6" x 8", depicting vintage wheeled dalmation toy, acrylic on canvasboard, $199; "Shoot the Rapids," 4" x 8", depicting dog in kayak, acrylic on canvasboard, $149; "Dalmation Duckie," 4" x 5", rubber duck disguised as dalmation, acrylic on canvasboard, $114; "Puppy Kindergarten," 6" x 12", depicting dogs seated in schooldesks, acrylic on canvasboard, $219; . A client has requested a handful of paintings from the "Tags, Toys & Treasures" series for her nursery. She gets first pick out of this group, but I'll be more than happy to create a wait list for anyone else interested. Inquiries (along with requests for higher resolution images) can come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . These little paintings star vintage toys, mostly Fisher Price Litt...

"Big, Bigger, Biggest (from the Tags, Toys & Treasures series)," 10" x 12", still life comprised of vintage Fisher Price toys, acrylic on panel, $440. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . I was talking to another artist the other night - he has a beautiful series of old toy still lifes going as well - and we were laughing at how we felt, going into the studio to work on setups like this. It's enough of a treat to spend the day in front of my easel, and even better when I get to paint something as packed with great memories as these toys. I remain surprised at how much enjoyment I've gathered working with still lifes. When I took last fall's class I expected to learn new approaches to painting, but I didn't expect the sort of revolution it brought along. I'm working my way through the syllabus a third time now, reviewing my notes and repeating each lesson. The lessons are starting to blur together, as I become more comfortable with t...

Enough of you asked, so I put it together! I now have giclee prints available for "Wanna go for a walk?," the still life painting depicting a vintage Fisher Price Little Snoopy pull toy. The giclees are approximately 8" x 11," printed in archival inks on a beautiful artists paper, with ample white margins on all sides. Each piece will be signed in pencil in the margin. I will also personalize the giclees for free with any message you wish. Remarks are available for an additional fee (remarks would include original sketches or drawings made in the margin, thus making your giclee unique). Giclees are $50 each, with shipping costing $12. As always, I will combine shipping on multiple purchases. I will get these listed on my website later this week, but for now they are available directly through email inquiries - ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . Thanks, as always, for your ideas (I do try to listen!!), and for sharing the Painting a Dog a Day journey with your friend...

ARTISTS NOTE: Giclees are available of this painting. Inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . "Wanna go for a walk?," 12" x 16", acrylic on gallery stretched linen, $560. This piece will be added to my website soon, but I'm giving you, the dog-a-day readers, a sneak peek. I am especially excited to share this new painting with you. It is a combination of all the paintings I've done prior, influenced by a select group of artists and mentors (you know who you are, and THANK YOU!), hours of careful study, and a nice indicator of the sort of direction my work will be taking in 2008. I will continue to paint objects that sing to me, and throw my soul into their creation. I will be making paintings that, hopefully, touch your heart and tug at a memory or two. (And before I get 100 emails asking, yes, these will be in addition to the dog-a-day paintings - I am committed to Painting a Dog a Day through at least the end of 2008.) Thanks for coming a...

from top: "Fisher Price Dog I," "Fisher Price Dog II," "Fisher Price Dog III," each 4" x 6", still life painting of plastic Fisher Price dog figurines/toys, acrylic on board, $135 each. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . "Fisher Price Dog III" is sold. I'm having a little too much fun in the studio lately. Can you tell? I've been painting toys - it started with the vintage dog figurines last year, and now I've graduated to Fisher Price dogs. I have a nice little collection of these guys. It is surprising to me that each dog bears a unique expression, despite the fact that they were all pressed from the same mold. And how their color has changed over the years, depending on their circumstances - some faces are blue, others white, orange or yellow. Some faces are even blank, or the dogs have lost an ear - or horrors - both! How cute will these be, framed together in a nursery or child's room? Or tucked into a c...