Paintings With Soul

Kimberly Kelly Santini   paintings with soul because our world needs more beauty   "Bailey and Charlie," 12" x 12" x 1/22", acrylics on museum quality cradeled panel, commissioned portrait and heading home soon. They no longer flood my various social media feeds, but I do still create one or two pet portraits each month. Because when all is said and done, there is nothing quite like delivering an original image that melds memories and emotions into the perfect summary of my clients' relationship with their special family members. Prices start at $399 for museum quality original paintings. I work from copyright free reference photos and your stories to create a treasured family keepsake. Turnaround is dependent upon my current workload, but averages several months (and can be much longer near the end of the year), so please plan accordingly. Inquiries may come directly   to me .

In Process, "A World Away," 24" x 30", acrylics on masonite, not for sale. Inquires may always come to me via  email , though. My daughter dances competitively, and every year they do a production number that features all the dancers on the team and tells a story. And every year I create a painting inspired by their production number, selling reproductions as a fundraiser for the dance studio. This year's number is about a girl's dream, complete with a ringleader, acrobats, cheetahs, butterflies, birds, a wedding, pirates, tribal characters - it's absolutely stunning to watch.  And has been thrilling to paint, too. I still have a ways to go on this one, but I am enjoying every minute! If you are interested in ordering merchandise with this image on it, please shoot me a note , and I'll make certain to send you a direct link when the information becomes available. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantin...

"Ollie," 8" x 8," commissioned portrait of a German Shepherd, acrylics on a museum quality panel, a special gift for Ollie's little girl. Plenty of  in process photos are here . Want one for yourself? Inquiries may come  to me . I've been studying in-process images by master painters, and the one thing I noticed (light bulb moment here!) was that they paint entirely with planes. There is very little delineation happening - their subjects are sculpted with paint. So that was the approach I took with Ollie. No lines or drawing - just slabs of color going down. I rather like the effect. Thanks for following along, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Masquerade," 6" x 8", portrait of three young dancers on stage, inspired by the young ladies at  Broadway Dance Co  (where The Princess studies). This is acrylics on museum quality panel and is available to the first asking nicely for $329 - inquiries can come  to moi !    Last nite I found myself with a couple hours to do whatever I wanted. That was a tough one!! I headed straight to the easel and created Masquerade - it's time on the easel was relatively short lived, but this composition had been in my head for over a month, and the idea itself has been percolating for several years.   But inquiring minds always want to know how long did this take to paint?   The painting process cannot be measured or valued by a number of minutes. Making art is a lifelong process of seeing and questioning and filtering and experimenting, building up cumulative knowledge and filling those visual memory banks. ...

      "Pippa," roughly 6" square on a 9" x 12" paper, commissioned portrait of a Brittany Spaniel, not for sale.   I grew up with Brittanys, and spent today remembering Beau, my first dog. Every so often I feel his head at my knee, nudging me forward when I'm most afraid. Even though he's been gone for 22 years, he knows when I need him.   In process views of "Pippa" were shared on the  studio Facebook page . 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. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     

    Wow! How did another month whip by? Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I can't believe it!   Here is your November calendar boy, Percy. He'll do anything for a nibble of turkey......   To implement this month's desktop calendar, 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, 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 di...

      "Scully," 6" x 18", commissioned pet portrait, done in acrylic on museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!).    There's nothing more difficult than painting a beloved pet who's passed away for a collector who is still in mourning. And there's nothing more joyful than hearing from that same client when they've added a new family member and are ready for a new portrait.   Such is the story of Scully's project. He joined his family in the shadow of  Molly's  memory, but quickly forged his own way. And won everyone's hearts in the meanwhile.   I mean, seriously. Look at that face. It's no surprise, eh?   Fondly, Kim, who's off to cheer a certain football team Scully style, with full abandon and a silly grin on her face ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PS  I'm accepting commissioned portraits for the holidays - let's begin planning your project now, ...